Ever After
by potterfan36041
Summary: The final story in the 'No Good in Good-bye' series, the Oliver twins face the realities of being rangers, while Kim and Tommy adjust to the changes themselves while trying to make it to their happily ever after. Complete
1. Chapter 1

_Eighteen Years Later_

"Gracie, Aiden get up!" Kim yelled up the stairs as she fixed breakfast. Lizzie and Jared were already up and in the kitchen, but their oldest children often had a hard time getting out of bed, especially after the holidays. With it being their final year in school, things were getting tense around the Oliver household and not just from the college applications and SATs, it was the deeper secrets that were starting to surface. "Liz, go get them please."

"Mom, Aiden just got in the shower," Gracie said as she walked into the kitchen with her hair carefully done and make up in place. Kim could remember back when she was like that, but nowadays she got dressed, took the younger kids to school and then headed to the dojo. Although their children knew about them being rangers, Gracie and Aiden didn't know about their own future. One of them would be the ranger to take their mantle, but neither of them wanted to add that pressure to them before it was necessary. The kids needed to be able to be kids as long as they could, because Kim and Tommy knew the day was coming when they would no longer be able to do that.

"How long did you take this morning?" Kim asked as Gracie folded her arms.

"Not that long Mom, I just had to fix my hair and do my make up good today. Leo and I are going on a date this afternoon," Gracie said as Kim folded her own arms as Tommy walked down into the kitchen. He could feel the tension as he walked into the room, but he still was fuming about his own issues this morning. It had been a very long time since he had had to take a cold shower and back then it had been by choice.

"Someone care to tell me why I had to take a cold shower?" Tommy asked as he looked around the kitchen and was surprised when Aiden came running down half dressed and glaring at Gracie. "How long were you in the shower Grace?"

"Not that long," Gracie said as Kim rubbed her face and then looked over at Gracie. "Okay, about forty minutes."

"You'll be taking the last shower tomorrow," Kim said as Gracie stared at her mother.

"But Mom, I have to look good for Leo!" Gracie yelled as Kim looked over at Tommy, wondering how he had ever dealt with her when they were teenagers and she felt that she must look her best for him at all times. He had proved just how much he didn't care during her battle with cancer.

"Then I suggest you learn how to fix your hair faster," Kim said as Gracie plopped down in a chair and picked up a piece of toast as well as some bacon. "Tommy, what classes do you have this afternoon?"

"I've got the babies and the advanced class. What about you?" Tommy asked as he picked up his bag and then gave her a quick hug.

"I'm working with my mid level group today after school and I have the toddlers during the morning. The advanced girls are hitting the mats every other day this week, they've got to have a break," Kim said as Gracie looked over at her.

"Every other day?" Gracie asked as Kim nodded her head yes. "Why?"

"Well, you've got to consider the fact that there is a competition in a couple of weeks and you have to work out the kinks from having a couple weeks off. If you don't want to be in the competition, I'll let you take off," Kim said as Gracie stared at her mother. She had never offered something like this in the past, but she hadn't had to, up until recently Grace had loved gymnastics. "It's time that you choose Grace, I can't make you care about the sport."

"Mom, are you okay?" Gracie asked as Kim looked over at her.

"No, you seem to be throwing everything away for this guy. If he cared about you, you wouldn't be giving up so much; he'd understand why this is important," Kim said as Tommy and Aiden exchanged a glance. While Kim and Gracie were a lot alike, Gracie was much more like her grandmother than she was like Kimberly and they had all seen some monumental explosions as Gracie had gotten older.

"Mom, not everyone can find someone like Dad," Gracie said as Kim crossed her arms and the younger children scrambled for the car. Lizzie and Jared knew when there was about to be an explosion and although Aiden would have liked to flee, he knew he would probably have to grab either his sister or his mother.

"Just don't settle Grace, that's all that I am asking of you," Kim said as they heard a car horn outside and Kim's eyes narrowed.

"That's Leo," Gracie said as she grabbed her books and went to leave, but found the door blocked by her father. "Dad, let me go."

"Grace, come home after school today," Tommy said as she stared at him. He thought that Leo was a nice guy, so she didn't understand why he was like this.

"But we have a date," Gracie said as Tommy looked over at Kimberly. She looked mad enough to fry the girl up and serve her with chips and he wanted to prevent that from happening.

"Bring him here Grace, I know he's a good guy, but you've got some convincing to do with your mom," Tommy said as Gracie looked back at Kim and cringed. She had never been too good at taking her mother's looks, while Aiden had no problem handling it.

"Bye Mom," Aiden said as he gave Kim a hug and then went out to his car.

"Is it okay Mom?" Gracie asked as Kim nodded her head yes.

"I just need you to pick up Jared from school this afternoon since he's not coming to the dojo this evening," Kim said as Gracie nodded that she would make sure that Leo dropped by the middle school to grab her brother this afternoon.

"Thanks Mom," Gracie said as she gave her a hug and was then herded from the house with the rest of the family.

"I don't know how much longer we're going to last Tommy," Kim whispered as he reached over and wrapped his arm around her.

"We'll be fine Kim," Tommy said as she looked over at him. "Okay, so we probably only a few more months before one of them becomes a ranger, but we'll make it."

"But will they?" Kim asked as he gave her a hug and then tucked her hair behind her ear.

"They will, that's why we're here," Tommy said as Kim smiled and then gave him a quick kiss. "I have to get going, although I'd much rather stay here with you."

"Our kids will kill us if they hear that," Kim said with a smile as Tommy laughed and then nudged her towards her car. "See you tonight."

"Love you," Tommy said as she looked back and mouthed the words back to him and then jumped in her car. They both knew that their days were numbered where their children could still be just children, they just didn't know how short of a time they had left.


	2. Chapter 2

"Grace," Leo said as they walked out of the high school that afternoon and she turned to face him. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he didn't know what and he was not sure if he wanted to find out. Things with her could get sketchy at times and he felt that they were heading down that road again. She was headstrong and he knew that, but this did not seem to have anything to do with that. This had to do with something else completely, something that she was hiding from him. "Are you okay?"

"No, my parents are acting weird Leo. My mom has never been your biggest fan but today Dad got involved as well and well, they've been acting weird lately, like Aiden or I are going to grow a second head or something," Gracie said as he gave her a humored glance. He had noticed that the Olivers' were not acting exactly normal, but Grace's equating it to something like that honestly struck him as funny. She was not known to overreact about things unless it was well warranted.

"Come on, we better get Jared," Leo said as she looked over at him. "What?"

"I just have a bad feeling about all of this," Gracie said as he looked over at her and then shook his head.

"You and your bad feelings," Leo said with a laugh as she got into the passenger's seat and just shook her head. This was not a time for him to make a joke of her 'feelings'.

"How many times have I been wrong?" Gracie asked as Leo just shook his head as they pulled up to the middle school and Jared jumped in the back seat of his SUV.

"Only a few times," Leo said as Jared looked between the two of them. Something was going on here and he was not exactly sure what it was, but if he knew anything about his sister, he knew that she was definitely getting irritated.

"Hey guys, do you think we could swing by the dojo?" Jared asked as Gracie and Leo looked back at him. "Come on, it's on the way home."

"No Jared, Mom said to take you home and I don't think I'm going to take chances with her today. She seemed like she was ready to kill me this morning," Gracie said as Jared just shook his head. He was going to have to get with Aiden and figure out what had happened.

"New beauties," Fillian muttered as he watched the car pull away from the curb. Inside it held the next major power ranger and the thing that they must do was prevent that person from getting powers.

* * *

"Hello," Fillian said as he landed in front of the Oliver house as Gracie exited the car and stared over at him.

"Who the hell are you?" Gracie asked as Leo and Jared both exited the car, slowly and looked over at the being standing in front of them. Jared had an inkling as to what it might be and he could tell that Leo was completely confused.

"Just your everyday average villain wishing to take over the world," Fillian said as Gracie looked back as Jared nodded and grabbed Leo. They had both been warned that this day would come, that someone would come after them. Now they had to get Leo out of here, quickly, he did not need to be in the middle of this, no one needed to be in the middle of this if they could help it. "Ms. Oliver, correct?"

"Grace?" Leo asked as Jared dragged him back to the car and pushed him into the driver's seat before running to the other side. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Saving your life, drive, to the dojo," Jared ordered as Leo looked at him, completely confused. They were going to just leave Gracie here to fend off whatever that being was? This did not seem like the right thing to do, even if it was saving his neck. "Drive!"

"What's going on with this family?" Leo asked as Jared looked over at him and crossed his arms.

"You can't be serious that you've never heard that our parents were Power Rangers," Jared said as Leo's mouth fell open. That was definitely news to him. "Where the hell are you from?"

"Texas, my family moved here two years ago," Leo said as Jared covered his face. "You're serious aren't you?"

"Yeah and we'll be in serious trouble if you don't drive!" Jared yelled as he watched his sister in the rearview mirror as she fought whatever this thing was.

"Your family really…they really are rangers?" Leo asked as Jared nodded his head yes.

"Well Gracie isn't yet, but it looks like she's on her way," Jared said, matter of factly as Leo just stared at him. "You might want to gun it, we're going to need Dad for this one."

"Good lord, what have I gotten myself into?" Leo asked as Jared laughed. "This isn't funny."

"Yeah, it is. Every other guy at the high school knows about the family history, although it's kinda considered a myth now, Dad hasn't had a reason to show his real colors again, you are the one guy that was clueless and you're dating Grace," Jared said as Leo glared at him and then pressed the pedal to the floor.

"Uh!" Gracie yelled as she was thrown into the side of the house and forced herself to stand. "Why me?"

"Because you will follow in your father's footsteps," Fillian said as Gracie slammed him into the house and her hair whipped around as she turned to face him.

"That is where you are wrong, I have no powers, I'm not a ranger," Gracie said as she glared down at him.

"But you will be, the leader in fact," Fillian ground out as he stood to face the soon to be ranger. "If I don't stop you."

"Dad!" Gracie yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping and praying against all odds that he could somehow hear her. She was not ready for this and even if she had been, she would still need some help. "Dad!"

"Tommy Oliver won't save you now," Fillian said as Gracie's eyes widened and she took in a deep breath. She knew the risks here and she knew that not fighting meant that she would disappear, without a doubt. She had to do something, but she was not sure how long she could hold out.

"Dad!" Gracie yelled again as she kicked out forcing herself and the being to the ground.

* * *

"What in the world?" Tommy asked as he looked around, sure that he heard Gracie, but did not see her anywhere. His advanced students were walking the floor, slowly warming up, except for Aiden, who was frozen against a wall. "Aiden, you okay?"

"Grace is in trouble," Aiden muttered as Tommy looked over at him and saw the seriousness in his eyes. He was the child that looked the most like him, he had even decided that he liked his hair long, although it was closer to Kim's color than his own, but he knew that Aiden would not lie to him about this, not now. "Dad, you've got to go."

"Now?" Tommy asked as Aiden nodded his head yes and Tommy looked over towards Kim and caught a glance of Leo and Jared jumping out of his car. "Oh God."

"Go, I'm sure Mom will think of something," Aiden said as Tommy ran towards his office and Aiden headed for Kimberly. He knew the shit would hit the fan when their mother found out, but he had to tell her so that she would be able to think of some cover as to why class was being cancelled for the afternoon, especially since the class had seen Tommy there.

"Um, Aiden, we have a problem," Jared said as Aiden nodded that he knew and then took in a deep breath. "Does Mom know?"

"No and guess who has to tell her," Aiden said as Jared gave him a shocked look. He couldn't believe that their dad would leave that to him. "Grace is in more trouble than she can handle."

"I could have told you that," Jared said as Lizzie vaulted off the beam and saw her two brothers standing near the entrance, as Leo just tried to blend into the background.

"What's up with you two?" Lizzie, the youngest of the Oliver's, asked as she rubbed her hands in chalk and walked over to her brothers. "Don't give me that look, I know something is up."

"Grace is in trouble," Aiden said as Lizzie just shook her head.

"I'll get Mom over here," Lizzie said as they looked at her. "Fall off the beam or the bars?"

"Beam, Mom'll freak," Jared said as Aiden hid his face in his hands.

"No one will be falling off a beam or a set of bars. Mom!" Aiden yelled as Kim turned her back on the girl that she was working with and looked over at him.

"In a minute Aiden!" Kim yelled back as she went back to spotting the girl and he just shook his head.

"This can't wait a minute Mom!" Aiden yelled as Kim placed the girl on the ground and then walked over to Aiden.

"What? Are you happy now?" Kim asked as she crossed her arms and glared up at her eldest son.

"Well, Grace is being attacked, so we might need to do something," Aiden said as Kim's mouth dropped and she walked over to one of the benches and sat down. "I think it's about time you tell us the truth."

"What truth?" Kim asked as Aiden folded his arms in return.

"The prophecy that saved Dad," Aiden murmured as Kim gulped and then walked back to the girls.

"I'll tell you that one day," Kim said as Aiden just shook his head. It seemed that the time was now and it was not going to wait for when their parents wanted to tell them the truth.

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Tommy growled as he landed in the front yard and saw his eldest daughter on the ground, very close to blacked out. Although they had taught the both of them self defense, Aiden had stuck with it and Gracie had taken to gymnastics. Gymnastics was good, but not in a situation like this, especially the first time.

"Fillian, the new evil that wishes to take over the earth," Fillian said as he faced Tommy and Grace barely lifted herself before collapsing again. "Poor baby."

"Leave," Tommy muttered as Fillian looked at him as if he was no challenge. "Last chance."

"Daddy going to protect his little girl?" Fillian asked as Tommy jumped at him and threw him through the nearest tree and leveled his gaze on the man.

"To the death, now leave," Tommy said as Grace tried to force herself to stand again, but she couldn't manage it and only collapsed in a heap once again. "I'm her father, I'll kill if I have to."

"You'll never manage it," Fillian said as Tommy's next kick hit his head and Fillian fell to the ground and then disappeared, although Tommy knew he was not gone for good.

"Grace, get up baby," Tommy whispered as he squatted down next to her and she barely lifted her head up to him.

"I can't Dad," Grace whispered as her eyes slid out of focus and Tommy lifted her from the ground and carried her inside. He never thought he would see the day when this happened to his daughter, Aiden yes, but Grace he never thought it would happen to.

"Kim, we've got a problem," Tommy said as he lifted his old communicator to his lips and said the dreaded words.

"I know, how bad is it Tommy?" Kim asked as she sat in her office with their other children and Leo.

"Pretty bad Kim, she is going to have to have powers," Tommy said as Kim placed her hand over her face.

"Who else?" Kim asked as Aiden and Leo exchanged a glance.

"Can you take Aiden doing this too?" Tommy asked as Kim looked over at him and then let out a sob. "I take that as a no."

"It's not like we've ever had a choice before Tommy, the powers choose who the rangers are," Kim sobbed as he nodded.

"I need you to get home, leave your car," Tommy said as Kim nodded. This was not what either of them had envisioned, but they were going to have to pull out all the stops to get this child well from the way it sounded.


	3. Chapter 3

"Grace, stay still honey," Tommy whispered as she looked up at him and started to roll over. The position that she had been placed in was extremely uncomfortable, considering that it was rubbing against some areas that were particularly bruised. Her mind was only half with her as she ignored her father and continued to shift her body around. "I've got to see if you have any internal injuries."

"What the hell was that Dad?" Grace murmured as she watched him out of the corner of her eyes before she heard a machine moving over her body. She had played in the Command Center since she was a kid, so she knew what all the machinery did, she had just hoped that she would never have to be treated with it.

"Exactly what he said he was and I'm afraid he'll become your worst nightmare if you don't get some backbone and learn how to fight," Tommy said as he heard Kim running down the stairs with Aiden and Leo right behind her.

"Baby," Kim said as she put her arms around her and Tommy cringed.

"Kim, you need to let her go, she's got enough injuries for one day," Tommy said as Kim looked up at him and glared. "Sorry, but it's the truth. Aiden, how'd you know?"

"Just a feeling Dad," Aiden said as Tommy walked over to the back room and began searching for a box that he had placed away many years before. He had thought it best to save these powers for as long as he could, but it seemed that his children were going to have to be the ones to take them.

"That is one hell of a feeling," Leo said as Kim glared at him while Lizzie and Jared laughed.

"They've heard worse Kimberly," Tommy said as he reemerged with the box and Kim stared at him. He did not need his wife fighting with a person that was probably going to be one of their last rangers. He hated that he was going to be handing this over to his daughter, not his son, but there was no other way around it. It had been decided, all that was left was the powers. "We don't have any others right now Kimberly and these are the best that we've ever seen."

"They aren't supposed to be for Gracie and Aiden, we were supposed to save them," Kim said as she stood up and crossed her arms. The three uninjured children scrambled for the nearest wall that they could find and Leo followed their lead. It was rare that their parents blew up at each other, but this had all of the signs of a major blow up.

"Well, what do you suggest? I've used every power that we had for the past ten teams and no one has found anymore and none have fallen into our laps like they usually do. We have to let them, there is no more time to search," Tommy said, reasonably, as Kim stared at him before grabbing the nearest object and throwing it at him.

"These are the powers of the freaking evil rangers. What will we call them? The Maniac Rangers?" Kim asked as Tommy just shook his head.

"They were good rangers in the end Kimberly and from what I've been able to gather, these are strong powers and Fillian is no wimp. We've got to give them something or we risk worse injuries than this," Tommy said as Grace slowly sat up and reached for the box that her father had discarded next to her head. When she opened the box the powers that flooded out caused a fireworks show in the basement as two people magically appeared in the room, in odd looking uniforms as Leo and Aiden stepped out and looked down at themselves as well.

"Dad," Aiden said as Tommy looked over at him and saw the red uniform that had taken over his body. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"You look good in red," Paige said as she pulled off her pink helmet and smiled. "So, the legend is true?"

"I'd say," Brian said as he looked down at the yellow uniform he was in. "Since when are guys yellow?"

"You're not the first," Tommy said as the boy looked over at him. "Grace, you all right?"

"I'm going to be sick," Gracie muttered as she jumped up and ran for the bathroom upstairs.

"Those powers are too strong for her," Kim said as Tommy looked over at her.

"She has to stop fighting them Kimberly, the strongest set we had set you back too," Tommy said as the rangers looked between them as Leo looked down at the green uniform and then over at Tommy. "Not all green rangers are bad."

"Thanks," Leo said as Grace came back downstairs and they stared as her uniform glowed white and then suddenly it turned black.

"Temperamental powers," Gracie muttered as she walked back over to her parents and they stared at her. "What is it?"

"You have two sets of powers," Tommy said astonished as Grace stared at him.

"It's the same amount you had had when you became leader," Kim said as Grace flashed back to white and looked around at them. "I have a feeling that seeing the black powers is only to let us know she's the leader."

"What?" Gracie yelled as they both looked at her and Aiden tried to hide his smile. "Aiden…"

"Looks like you are taking over for Dad, not me," Aiden said as Gracie flew at him and tackled him to the ground. She was not going to tell them what Fillian had said to her, she wanted to believe that this was not her destiny. She wanted to know that she would have a normal life once she was done with this team, now she knew that she couldn't. "Grace, it's not such a bad thing, just until your own children can take over."

"Shut up!" Gracie yelled as Leo pulled her off of her brother and Tommy watched Gracie with an odd sort of attention. The look in her eyes reminded him a lot of himself and it was one of the first times that he had ever seen himself in her. "I don't want this Dad."

"You don't really have a choice Grace," Tommy said, gently, as he pulled her into a hug. "I never wanted it to be you."

"Thanks a lot Dad," Aiden said as Tommy glared back at him to see the smile on his face and just shook his head.

"Come on, can't you do something Dad?" Gracie begged as she looked up at him and he shook his head no. He wished that he could change who the powers picked, but there was a reason that she was supposed to be the leader and they'd just have to deal with this revelation. "Dad!"

"You're my baby, I wouldn't have dreamed for this to happen to you, Aiden I expected, never you," Tommy whispered as Grace clung to him and sobbed as the other rangers looked at them and Kim ushered Lizzie and Jared from the room. "But you're going to have to do it Grace, we don't have a choice."

"So what are we?" Grace asked as she looked up at him.

"You're just the Power Rangers, I have no other name for you," Tommy said as they all stared at him. "Kim's right, Maniac Rangers, doesn't really work."

"We're really doing this?" Aiden asked as Tommy nodded his head yes and reached out his arm for his son and pulled him in as well.

"The two of you were destined to, we just didn't know which one of you would be the one to take my place," Tommy said as they both looked at him in shock. "Your mom and I will explain to you after we talk to the others."

"What is there to talk about? We're Power Rangers," Paige said as Tommy looked over at her and just shook his head. "What?"

"Although my wife and I are known rangers, we can't risk any of you being revealed and we certainly cannot risk our children being revealed. I do not want all hell to break loose because guess what, it will if they are found out," Tommy said as they looked over at him in confusion.

"Why would it?" Leo asked as the others sighed.

"Because it did when Kimberly and I were found out and that won't happen with them," Tommy said as they all nodded. "Leo, I'm sorry you don't really know any ranger history, but with this family, you'll find out more than you ever need to know about them."

"Great, so we don't tell anyone," Leo said as Tommy nodded.

"And you don't get caught morphing," Tommy said as Leo placed his head in his hands. This seemed like something from a bad movie, but now it was his world and it was a world that he was not sure he wanted to have right now.


	4. Chapter 4

"I hope we've done the right thing Tommy," Kim whispered as he put his arms around her and pulled her against him, molding his body to hers. They had been in bed for an hour, but she was sure that he was still wide awake, thinking. They had been married for over twenty years and knew by mere breath, whether or not the other was sleeping or awake. Tonight was a night that neither of them had been fully prepared to deal with, but they had no choice but to face it. It was time for their children to take this burden and for them to go back to being normal people, well as normal as former Power Rangers could be, anyway. "They're only kids, Tommy."

"Kim, every ranger that we have ever had under us has been their age or younger. Hell, we were only fourteen when we became rangers and we did just fine. It's time that we hand this off, I'm forty one Kim, I can't undergo too many more teams. The last one almost did me in and we had a great group of kids then too, it's just time for someone else to take this burden," Tommy said as Kim rolled over to face him and just shook her head. She knew that what he was saying was true, but she did not want to face their children doing this. She knew too much about the ranger world to just be comfortable with what they were doing. She had seen what this could do to people and she didn't want for them to suffer that. "I know you don't want them to do this, but we don't have much of a choice. The powers chose them Kimberly, we can't make the powers choose someone that is not compatible."

"I still don't like this. They're my babies," Kim said as his arm gently rubbed her side and he gave her a gentle kiss in an attempt to calm her.

"Kim, they're tough kids, we'll not have anything to worry about," Tommy whispered gently holding her and drifting off to sleep, trying not to think about what had happened, but dreaming of the fact that their children were having to bear something that they had dealt with years before.

* * *

"Paige," Aiden said as the new pink ranger walked up to him the next morning and gave him a hug. "Well I guess there is no more caring about others finding out about us."

"It looks like I'll be stuck with you for awhile now Aiden, might as well let other people know about us. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Paige said as he smiled and then looked over to see Leo and Gracie walking up the hall to meet them. The both of them looked like they were at the ends of their ropes with each other and both Paige and Aiden were sure their relationship was not going to last much longer. They had been teetering on a thing edge for months now and something was going to break them, they just didn't know what it might be. "So what are we doing this afternoon?"

"Dojo," Aiden said as Paige stared up at him. He had never said anything like that to her and she could not understand why he had said something like that now, just because they had become rangers didn't mean that they had to drop everything that they did in order to fulfill those duties. They could still go about their lives and be normal people, at least that was what she thought. None of them honestly knew exactly how hard it was for the rangers to be normal people once the battles truly began. "Dad's idea, not mine."

"You have to agree with him Aiden, they need some help about it all, most of them have never done martial arts," Gracie said as Aiden looked at her as if she had lost her mind. The powers should certainly compensate for the fact that they had no idea what they were doing. "We'll be defenseless if we don't do this."

"Yeah, so, where's Brian?" Leo asked as they looked around. They were sure that he would meet them here as well, but they really didn't know him that well. He was not a bad person or even a black sheep, but he just didn't hang out with the same people that they did. He was more of a brain, whereas the others were kinda on the popular side of the tracks.

"Over here," Brian said as he walked up to them and just shook his head. "If we all start hanging out, there's a good chance that we'll be busted."

"Come on, if you don't do it now, it'll be worse," Gracie said as Brian just shook his head. He knew that it would not be accepted that one day they would barely talk to him and the next day they were best friends. High school just didn't work like that. "We're going to have to work together, we might as well learn to like each other before we have to do that."

"I'm guessing we have something this afternoon," Brian said as Gracie nodded. "I'll talk to your dad then, it'll probably be better that way."

"He'll only say exactly what we're saying, you might as well get used to us," Gracie said as Brian just shook his head and walked off.

"Grace, be nice," Aiden said as she glared over at him and he just shrugged. "Listen, it's hard to be around us, Leo and Paige have been around us for awhile and they actually like us. We've always had each others' backs and it scares some people."

"Come on Aiden, you make it seem like we're monsters," Gracie said as Aiden just shook his head.

"You can be monsters," Tommy said as he walked up behind Gracie and she turned around to glare at him. "Don't worry about him Grace, we'll get it all straightened out in time, now get to class."

"Dad are you sure?" Gracie asked as Tommy nodded his head that he was sure. The boy just didn't run with the crowd that these kids ran with and it was going to be hard for him to suddenly be friends these kids and there not be some questions raised. It seemed that he was taking it seriously about them not being found out, but they'd have to be friends eventually. If they weren't, he knew that bad things would happen to this team as well.

"Yeah, just go to class," Tommy said as he gave her a tiny shove towards her classroom and Gracie just glared back at him as he shook his head.

"She's a spit fire Tommy," Josh Fitzpatrick said as he looked over at his coworker and laughed.

"Yeah, I almost feel sorry for whoever marries her," Tommy said as Josh gave him an odd look. He couldn't imagine that Gracie would really be that hard to handle, especially for someone that loved her. "It's not that she's a bad kid, but she opinionated as hell and doesn't know how to let someone else win a lot of the time."

"Does that remind you of someone?" Josh asked as Tommy nodded his head that it most certainly did. "You ever regret your wife?"

"No, I never will," Tommy said as Josh just nodded. He had had no doubt that the eldest Oliver would say that about his wife. When he had first gotten the job and been introduced to the man he had known that family came first, followed by something else that was a very close second. "I guess her husband will have to be the same."

"Bingo," Josh said as he looked over at Tommy and just shook his head. "But I wouldn't worry about marrying her off anytime soon."

"Why's that?" Tommy asked as Josh just shook his head. "Josh, come on. You probably have a better idea of what the hell is going on between her and Leo than I do. I'm definitely not the first person that she'll talk to about something like that."

"I don't think that she and Leo will make it past high school. He doesn't seem committed enough," Josh said as Tommy gave him a thorough gaze and then shook his head. Josh was one of the younger teachers here, having only graduated from the school four years earlier, but he'd never seen Gracie or Josh be anything more than just polite to each other.

"They're seventeen, they have time to be committed later," Tommy said as Josh nodded and then walked down the hall to his classroom. He did not like the way that this conversation was going with Tommy and he did not want to chance making the older man mad right now, it wouldn't be worth it for either of them.

"You think that he's finally going to have the balls to tell your dad that I'm just a cover?" Leo asked as Gracie glared over at him before snatching her books away. She was so tired of hiding it, but knew that they had no choice. He was her teacher, they couldn't tell anyone about them because of that. "Temper, temper, Grace."

"This is why my mom is suspicious Leo, you've got to at least act like it a little longer, please. I know that you're only doing this because you're my friend, but I'd really appreciate him still having a job next year and my father not killing him," Gracie said as Leo nodded. Although Josh and Grace acted as only friends, a few close companions knew that it was only because of the fact that he was a teacher there and she was a student. They had to respect the rules and they did, even if it meant going out with other people to make it look as if there was nothing between them at all.

"Are you planning on letting the cat out of the bag so soon?" Leo asked as Grace again pierced him with a stare and he just shook his head. "You can't next year either, it's too risky."

"I know, but it'll be easier and we'll figure out when we can actually try it, but right now we can't, I can't let him risk that for me," Gracie said as Leo just nodded. "Plus my dad would kill him."

"So would Aiden if he ever found out," Leo said as Gracie just nodded. She was not sure which one she was the most worried about, but she knew that it was part of the male instinct, on some odd level. "You know that it's going to be hell to pay later."

"Yeah, but I'd rather him not have to deal with what will happen now, when it can affect his job. I will not let him risk that," Gracie whispered as she slipped into Mr. Fitzpatrick's math class and sat down in the back row. She really needed to disappear for the day and she just hoped that Josh would not pull her aside and ask her what was going on. She knew that he could read her better than anyone else and she hoped that for once he would just get the idea that she needed some time alone.

* * *

"Ms. Oliver," Josh said as she turned around to face him on her way out of the school. "You were quiet today."

"Long night last night," Gracie said as he gave her a look that clearly said he did not believe that it was that simple. "I can't tell you here."

"Then where can you tell me?" Josh asked as Gracie just shook her head. "Park, nine?"

"I can't today, I'll be working out this afternoon," Gracie said as Josh just stared at her. Sure, he knew that she loved gymnastics, but she had never been one to spend the entire afternoon at the dojo and not have time for any sort of other activities. They had always found time for each other, they had had to make time for each other. "But I need help with what we did today before we test. How about tomorrow afternoon after school for a tutoring session?"

"Okay Ms. Oliver," Josh said as Gracie just nodded and then ran off towards her car. He was worried about her, he was worried about what he saw in her face. She had never been stressed like this before and he wished that things were different, but they both knew that getting him fired and in bad standing with her father was not on their list of things to do anytime soon. "Be careful Grace."

"I will Mr. Fitzpatrick," Gracie said as he turned to walk back inside and slowly made his way to his classroom. He had no clue what he was going to do and he also had no clue how Grace was going to survive whatever was now placed on her shoulders.


	5. Chapter 5

"What's with you and Fitz?" Aiden asked as he walked up to Gracie's side and she jumped nearly a mile off the ground. She had been sure there was no one around when she was talking to him, but obviously she was wrong. She had been distracted all day today, trying to figure out what she was going to do and she was nowhere near where she needed to be with that plan. Josh had to know the truth about what was going on with her, but she was not sure that she could tell him. She did not want to risk losing him because of the fact that she was now a Power Ranger. "Grace…"

"Nothing Aiden, just a teacher concerned about his student, not anything out of the ordinary," Gracie said as Aiden gave her a knowing look. She had never been any good at lying to him, while she had mastered the straight faced gig with their parents' years ago. It was part of the fact that they had shared a womb with each other for nine months or at least that was what they always said. "Aiden please don't ask. I'm not sure if I can answer what you want to know truthfully."

"I don't have to ask, I can tell by looking at you and the way that you are acting about all of this. Who else knows?" Aiden asked as Gracie covered her face and he put his arm around her. He had seen what it was doing to her, day in and day out, but now everything just seemed to be magnified. She was a ranger and that could mean so many things for anyone involved with them. He was in danger and he didn't even know it and they were not sure that there was any way to tell him. Their father had forbidden them from telling people, but if they didn't tell him, then he could be in real danger. "I don't have any problem with this Grace, but Dad'll kill him when he finds out."

"It's not like that Aiden, we haven't been anything more than friends. I don't want Dad to kill him and I still want him to have a job, it's just we've got so much in common," Gracie said as Aiden nodded and then looked around.

"So Leo is a front?" Aiden asked as Gracie nodded miserably and he gave her a hug. "What do I need to do to help you?"

"There is nothing that you can do," Gracie said as Aiden smiled and then looked over at her in complete and utter shock. Did she forget who she was talking to? He was the only child that could manage to get out from under Kim's death glare unharmed and even save some of the other children the same fate. He could surely find some way to help out with this.

"Grace, look at who you're talking to. I say graduation would be a good time to let the world know," Aiden said as Gracie shook her head that they shouldn't, they needed time. "Why not?"

"The least of my reasons being Dad, if someone finds out that soon then they'll know something started during school and that will leave him with no job. We'll have to wait to see what we are, I can't let him risk that, not for me," Gracie said as Aiden barely nodded and just continued to keep his arm around her. He could see just how much this was hurting her and wanted to help, but he also understood her reasoning. Josh would lose his job if this ever was placed into the public and she wouldn't let him risk that, she couldn't.

"You know that these things tend to pick on people that we care about," Aiden said as Gracie looked up at him and then nodded. She had thought about that, but she didn't know how she was going to handle Josh just yet. He had known things about her family that had surprised her, but never anything that would make her believe that he had been a ranger in the past. "He'll be in danger."

"What am I supposed to do Aiden? Don't you think I've already thought about it?" Gracie yelled as several people in the parking lot stared at them and she then lowered her voice. "Just let me handle this my way Aiden."

"Your way might get him killed Grace," Aiden whispered as she climbed into the car with him and he looked over at her. "When is the next time that you're going to talk with him?"

"Tutoring tomorrow," Gracie said as Aiden gave her a curious look. His sister had never made a C, much less failed a class, so why in the world did she need to be tutored. "It's the only time that we can talk to each other without someone thinking that it is what it really is. We've been doing this since we started liking each other."

"Tell him then, because if you don't he'll be in a world of hurt and so will you if something happens to him," Aiden said as Gracie nodded and then wiped her eyes. She did not like how this sounded, buy knew that he spoke the truth. There was only one option and that option left her open to a world of hurt and disappointment. "We'll get through this, but we're going to have to be smart."

"Aiden I don't want you involved in this," Gracie said as he gave her a stern look. "I got myself into it, I'll handle it."

"No, I'll help, just tell me how much time you're going to need to break this to him," Aiden said as she turned away from him. "You weren't going to tell him?"

"I was going to push him away, I thought it might be easier that way," Gracie said as Aiden let out a frustrated groan.

"Didn't you learn anything from Mom and Dad? Grace, if you do that you'll regret it for the rest of your life, be honest with him, it'll pay off in the long run," Aiden said as Gracie nodded and then looked over at him. "Don't worry about what I do, just make sure that he knows the truth."

"Why?" Gracie asked as Aiden gave her a look of his own.

"Because if I'm right about what's going to happen next, you're going to need him," Aiden said with an air of finality as she sighed. She hated when Aiden was right like this.

* * *

"Ms. Oliver, I wasn't expecting you for another five minutes," Josh said as Gracie walked into his classroom to see him working with another student, not that she minded. It actually gave her a few more minutes before she had to tell him the truth. She had opted for the tell and run technique, hoping that she would be able to let him know why they couldn't see each other any longer and then he wouldn't follow her. She had also blatantly ignored Aiden's advice, but at this point she didn't have much of a choice about it. She could not bear to know that she caused him pain because he decided to stay with her.

"Sorry Mr. Fitzpatrick, I just got done at the dojo early, thought I'd come one over," Gracie said as he nodded and gestured for her to take a seat in the back of the room, away from the other student he was helping.

"Grace, how are you today?" Josh asked as the other student packed up his bag and slowly walked out of the room.

"Okay, but I didn't understand how to graph the parabola today," Gracie said as Josh nodded as he saw her eyes follow his other student as he left the room. He then walked over to the door and unceremoniously locked it, as he did during almost every tutoring session. It was the one way he could guarantee that no one would barge in when he was trying to help a student and now it was a good way of having an idea of when someone might step in the room unannounced.

"What's wrong Grace?" Josh whispered as he sat down in the desk in front of hers and she looked out the window. "Grace…"

"I'm a Power Ranger Josh," Gracie muttered as his eyes widened and he continued to stare at her. He had not really expected to hear that from her, at least not until the monsters showed up. "And there's a good chance this thing might come after you."

"A ranger? I thought that was a myth, that they didn't exist," Josh said as her eyes turned up towards him and she just shook her head. She wished with all her heart that it was a myth, but it wasn't and she was going to have to do the hardest thing in the world and tell him to leave her alone. "Okay then, why tell me about it?"

"They come after people that the rangers care about," Gracie said, simply, as he stared at her. That would most certainly blow their cover if anyone figured out their relationship on the evil side. "So much for no one knowing about us."

"Well, who would be able to figure it out?" Josh asked as her hand briefly touched his and then moved away. As much as she wanted for him to hold her, she knew that she could not give into that urge, she had to be strong and keep a safe distance from him.

"My father, my mother, my siblings, we were raised to deal with this sort of thing when the time came. We know the history better than anyone else and Aiden made me see that you at least deserve a warning of what might happen," Gracie said as he froze. He had thought that it might only be former rangers, he didn't really think about her parents being former rangers.

"How does Aiden know?" Josh asked, in mortified shock as Grace placed a hand over her face.

"He knows me and I guess that things just clicked yesterday for some reason," Gracie said as Josh nodded. He had known from the beginning that Aiden would be the hardest to fool and he had been right about that. "Look, I better get going, I've got training to do."

"But the tutoring…" Josh began as she stood up and just shook her head. "Grace…"

"It's too dangerous for you, I'll see you at school," Gracie muttered as she walked out of the classroom with tears flowing down her face. No, she hadn't told him that things between them were through, but she might as well have. She was not going to let him get hurt because of the fact that she was a ranger, even if it was the last thing that she did.


	6. Chapter 6

"Josh, what's going on?" Tommy asked as he walked into the classroom and saw the teacher throwing together his things. He had known him for quite a while and he had never seen him like this in the past. He had seen him mad, but this didn't seem like mad, this seemed like something else entirely. Something that he was certain he would see one day, but he had thought it would not be his soon.

"She left…I don't know what to do Aid…" Josh said as he looked up and noticed Tommy standing in the doorway and he let out a long sigh. He had known that there would come a time when they would talk about this, really talk about it, but he did not want that moment to be today. He was mad, frustrated, upset, hurt, and so many other emotions that he could quite figure out. She had ran out on their relationship without even giving them a chance to survive this and he did not appreciate it one bit. He had risked so much to be with her and she was willing to throw it away because of what some madman might do to him.

"I take it that Grace didn't want tutoring today?" Tommy asked as Josh barely nodded and then went back to packing up for the night. He wanted to avoid this conversation if he could help it, but knowing Tommy the way he did, he would continue to push until he found out exactly what he needed to know. "That wouldn't have you in this mood though."

"Tommy, I don't want to talk about it, not right now," Josh said as Tommy took a seat in one of the desks and watched him as he continued to pack. His daughter had done something, that much was certain, but he couldn't figure out what it might be to get Josh to this point. He was a fairly calm person most of the time, but right now he looked very close to an emotional breakdown.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the two of you had a fight, a big one by the way you are throwing things in that bag," Tommy said as Josh glared over at him. The fight wouldn't have happened if he had been able to be honest with her about some things, but Tommy had insisted she stay in the dark, although he didn't know why. What would it hurt for him to tell the truth? Tell her that he had been a ranger as well. "I didn't ever say it would be easy when I agreed to let the two of you continue seeing each other. Both of you are going to have to work at it."

"She doesn't even know you know," Josh said as Tommy nodded his head that that was the truth. There were several reasons that they had decided to keep this a secret, but they both could see that that was about to end, at least with some people. "And she told me…she told me that she's a ranger."

"Took her long enough, but that wouldn't bother you, not with your past," Tommy said as Josh just shook his head that he was right. "Come on, you were a red yourself, you know how hard it is at first, she'll come to her senses, eventually."

"Yeah, but…what's going to happen when she finds out about all of this? I've been lying to her for so long," Josh said as Tommy just shook his head. He was not too worried about the consequences, Grace would get over this in time. He had not been sure that she would ever become a ranger, he had been sure about Aiden. "What's that look for?"

"She'll be back in a minute," Tommy said as he nodded outside where he could see Grace walking back towards the school. "Do you want me to stay or go?"

"Stay and pitch a fit," Josh said as Tommy nodded and then settled back in his seat. They had both known that they would have to confront this eventually, they had just hoped the eventually would be much later.

"I'm so sorry," Grace said as she threw her arms around him in a tight hug and he held her tight. He felt at ease when he held her in his arms and although she needed to explain why she had done it, he didn't want to hear it right then. He just wanted to be able to hold her for a little bit longer, just to confirm that she was real and that she was not going to walk away from him. "I just thought it would be easier to walk away, to keep you safe."

"Grace…don't worry about me," Josh said as he gave her a quick kiss and then pulled her into another hug. "Just don't do that again."

"I won't make any promises," Grace said as she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was afraid, so afraid, that something would happen to him because of her and she was not sure that she could stand it if it did.

"Grace," Tommy said as she stiffened and Josh held her tighter. "You have some explaining to do."

"Dad, it's not what you think," Grace said as she spun around in Josh's arms and Tommy gave her a questioning look. There was no use trying to lie to him now, he had caught her red handed. "Okay, so maybe it is, but please don't be mad…I can't help it."

"Can't help it? What are you thinking Grace?" Tommy asked as he stood up and she looked between her father and Josh. Something was not right here, her father should be taking Josh out, throwing a royal fit, not asking her what she was thinking. "Grace?"

"You knew…you knew already?" Gracie asked as she looked up at her father and then back at Josh who had moved his hands from her waist to her hips. "What the hell? Why?"

"Don't worry about it," Josh whispered as she looked back at him and then pushed his hands away from her roughly. She didn't understand why he was so calm when he should be freaking out that her father knew about them.

"Don't worry about it! You were the one that insisted no one know!" Gracie yelled at the top of her lungs as she turned to face him and stared up at him. "Do you know what it's been like to lie to everyone I know?"

"I do…I've had to do the same thing, but there were reasons you couldn't know that he knew," Josh said as she glared at him and he felt her powers build up within her and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Breathe or you're going to blow out all of the glass in here."

"I just want us to be normal," Grace whispered as he gave her a weak smile and then pulled her into a hug. "Why am I not in trouble for this?"

"Let's just say I've known your dad for awhile," Josh said as she stared up at him and he quickly kissed her cheek. "You better go, I'm sure that Aiden is wondering how your lovely plan went."

"You're sure?" Grace asked as Josh nodded his head yes and gave her a final hug.

"I'm sure," he whispered in return as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Be careful."

"Don't worry about me," Grace said with a smile as she turned around to her father and gave him a guilty look. "Dad, I'm sorry, I just…"

"I wouldn't expect any less out of you Grace, now go on, the others are practicing and you should be there as well," Tommy said as he gave her a quick hug and then she looked between the both of them before leaving. "You're lucky she didn't kill you."

"You're lucky that I can still say that she doesn't know I was a red," Josh said as Tommy nodded his head in agreement. They wanted to keep his identity as a ranger a secret until they could tell all the rangers at once. It wouldn't be fair for Grace to find out well before the others that they had another veteran in their midst. "It's not going to last much longer Tommy, no matter how hard I try, I'm not going to be able to keep this from her now."

"All I ask is you hold out as long as you can, we've got to get you into the loop first and then…it'll be time," Tommy said as Josh nodded and then looked around his room.

"We were lucky she didn't break anything," Josh muttered as Tommy smiled.

"She has a little bit of her mother's temper," Tommy said as Josh nodded and then shook his head. "Okay, a lot of her mother's temper, but what do you expect? She's got the powers now too."

"I never thought I'd be glad to say that I don't go home to her at night," Josh said as Tommy shook his own head. He knew just how serious Josh was about Grace and he knew that with his family's luck, they would be married soon after she exited high school, that was just the way things seemed to work. His parents' had been the same and so had he and Kimberly. Why would Grace be any different?


	7. Chapter 7

"Who are you?" Kim asked as Josh and Tommy walked into their house later on that afternoon. They had had a long talk at the school and had caught up on some things that had happened over the last few years in the ranger world. Josh needed to know as much as possible before he set foot back in that world and he also had to find a way to convince Kim, for a little while, that he was clueless.

"Gracie's real love interest," Tommy said as Kim gave him a harsh look and then noticed the bag that he was carrying and a math book peaking out. Unless she was wrong, he was definitely older than eighteen, which meant that math book was not there because he had homework to do.

"You're a teacher!" Kim yelled as Tommy quickly shushed her as Lizzie and Jared ran back downstairs.

"This is Josh Fitzpatrick, one of the new teachers at Reefside High and I'm his mentor," Tommy said as Lizzie and Jared both yawned and then left. Their dad had been mentoring new teachers for the last few years, so this was no surprise to them that a new one would show up half way through the school year, it happened all the time. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"She likes a teacher?" Kim whispered as Tommy gave her a sideways look and nodded. "She likes a teacher!"

"Yes Kimberly, she likes a teacher and he knows about her being a ranger, we can use him to help us out," Tommy said as Kim looked over at him and then back at her husband. Why wasn't he throttling the man at this very moment? It was exactly what she would expect of him, he had never liked anyone that Grace had dated and she doubted that he ever would, but the man standing in front of her was living proof that he could. He very well could and she didn't know what this man had done to get that kind of grace, but obviously he had done something. "We have to do what we can and get as many people as we can to help us."

"What do you mean by that?" Kim asked as Josh took a hesitant step back, only to find Tommy grab his upper arm and hold him still. He did not need to be scared of Kim, otherwise she would use that against him.

"I mean that if the two of them wind up together, he might as well be trained in what he'll be doing. Whether or not we like it, Gracie is going to be the one that has to carry it on for us and if I'm right about how much they care about each other, he'll be the one having to deal with it as well. He might as well know from the beginning what he's getting into," Tommy said as Kim looked between the two of them and then waved for Josh to follow her. "Thank you, I've got to go out back and work with the kids."

"What is he talking about?" Josh asked as Kim looked over at him.

"The rangers are outside and he's going to work out with them. I'm going to show you our world," Kim said as Josh barely nodded and then followed her into the kitchen, where he was surprised to see a panel pop up. "You sure you love my daughter?"

"I'm sure that I'm going to find out sooner than I thought," Josh said as Kim gave him a stern look. "What did I say?"

"I thought Tommy had busted you for dating," Kim said as Josh shook his head no. "So why in the hell are you here?"

"He's told us to keep it quiet and keep it away from the school. I think he just doesn't want her to keep lying to both of you about Leo being someone she is interested in," Josh said as Kim just shook her head as she continued down the stairs and he froze. He had forgotten what this Command Center had looked like over the last four years and he was thankful that he didn't have to feign shock.

"Josh, come on," Kim said as she looked back at him and saw the look on his face. "You didn't think that we were serious, did you?"

"I did, to a point, I just never expected this," Josh said as Kim nodded and he then followed her into the room. "Look, Grace and I were friends before I ever started teaching at Reefside and when I got the job, I didn't think there'd be a problem with either of our emotions, but I guess I was wrong."

"If Tommy is right about how much she likes you, you were dead from the start," Kim said as Josh looked away from her. "It really is in the genes, the both of us are like that."

"What is all of this?" Josh murmured as he walked around and slowly examined each panel of foreign buttons.

"A lot of information that we've gathered over the years, things that keep this place up and running, a connection to the current rangers and all past rangers, connections to the Zords, records, about anything you can think of that the rangers might possibly need," Kim said as Josh looked over at her with wide eyes. "Getting involved with Grace has a price."

"I'm technically not involved," Josh said as Kim walked over and started up each of the panels.

"She wouldn't have risked telling you about what she was if she didn't think that you would be at risk. Either she likes you more than you like her or you are just trying to keep Tommy from killing you," Kim said as Josh barely nodded his head at the latter and she laughed. "He would have killed you by now if he thought you were scum, obviously, you've made a much better impression on him that Leo ever did."

"I thought it was you that had the problem with Leo," Josh said as Kim shook her head that that was not the case. "Then why did you always gripe about it?"

"Because it came across better from me, Tommy wouldn't have been as nice and now that we've finally got everything figured out, I'm glad that we gave her hell for him. It might have been what made her want to warn you," Kim said as Josh just shook his head. "You don't think it's a big deal now, but it will be if you are captured."

"Why would I be captured?" Josh asked as Kim heard the rangers coming downstairs and she looked back towards them.

"I thought that would have been explained to you earlier," Kim said as Josh nodded his head that Gracie had given him an explanation, he just didn't think that was the truth. "Anyone we know is at risk."

"Hey, Mr. Fitzpatrick," Paige said as she walked downstairs and he looked over at her kids, completely shocked that they were all his students. "We hear that you're going to be helping us over the next few months."

"Why you?" Brian asked as Aiden and Gracie exchanged a glance. They knew why he was standing here, but they didn't dare to tell anyone that at the moment. "Why would someone else be brought in unnecessarily?"

"I was a ranger," Josh said as Kim looked over at him in shock. She had not helped with the last few teams and he sure was doing a good job of playing an idiot about the equipment. "I was the red ranger for the Fire Mountain Rangers. Sorry Kimberly, you were never supposed to know about that and I had to act like I didn't know anything Grace, part of the deal I made with Tommy a few months ago."

"Why are you singling her out?" Paige asked as Aiden, Gracie, and Leo exchanged an uncomfortable glance. "Am I missing something?"

"Leo is only a cover," Gracie said as the other two looked over at her in shock. "We've been seeing each other since the beginning of the year."

"And you haven't killed him yet?" Paige yelled as Brian walked over to the couch and sat down. He did not like the looks of all of this. He did not want to hear that he was part of something like this.

"He's one of my rangers and well, I don't think Grace could do much better," Tommy said as they all stared at him. They had fully expected for him to go into kill mode as soon as humanly possible once he had found out about something like this. "Brian, you don't look too happy with all of this."

"You are condoning a teacher dating a student. Why would I have a problem with that?" Brian shot back as they looked over at him and then back to Tommy. He did not seem very happy about this and they had to get it straightened out.

"Brian, under other circumstances this wouldn't be happening," Tommy said as Grace and Josh refused to look at each. They both knew that it had nothing to do with the circumstances that they were together, that Tommy agreed with it had everything to do with the circumstances. He knew how valuable it would be to have one more ranger to help them out and if he just so happened to like his daughter, he could deal with that. "He's a ranger, just like you. I'd be stupid not to get help from him."

"So why are they dating?" Brian asked as Aiden walked over and tapped Tommy on the shoulder.

"Let me, Dad," Aiden said as Brian looked from the older Oliver to the younger one. He was not sure which one he was more afraid of at the moment. "I'm going to explain this very simply to you. They like each other, they decided to date, I don't have a problem with it and I would beat the ever loving shit out of someone that I didn't like, so whatever your problem is, I suggest you get over it. You've got a job to do, just like the rest of us, tough shit if you don't like some facts about a couple of romances."

"I thought she was the leader," Brian said as Aiden leveled a glare on him, the likes that only a few people had ever seen from him in the past.

"Red rangers are usually the leaders, except in special situations, like this one," Aiden said as Brian just shook his head.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Brian said as Tommy and Josh exchanged a glance.

"That won't work Brian, you've had the powers for too long to successfully transfer them to someone else," Josh said as Brian just shook his head. "And even if we did manage it, it wouldn't be pretty. The person would the powers second choice, not their first."

"How do you know so much?" Brian asked as Josh just shook his head.

"He was the second person to have the red ranger powers on his team. The first one was killed in one of the early battles," Tommy said as they all looked over at him. They could tell that it disturbed Josh to even think about it, but none of them wanted to ask him about it. "I knew then that it was about time for me to hand of the reigns to one of them. I couldn't take seeing that anymore."

"So, I really do understand and if you have such a problem with me being here, I won't be here," Josh said as Brian looked between him and Gracie. "I'm not giving her up, don't ask that."

"Fine, but I expect that you announce this as soon as you can after graduation," Brian said as Gracie and Josh just shook their heads. "You announce it or I will."

"Don't even try blackmail here, it doesn't work," Tommy said as Brian looked over at him. No matter what he thought, he knew that Dr. Oliver's word was law in this situation. "They'll tell people when they're ready or you'll have the hell to pay from some very old rangers."

"Like you could do anything," Brian smarted off as he felt the glare of Kimberly, Tommy, Gracie, and Aiden.

"Seems that he hasn't seen the video," Gracie said as she walked over to the console and punched in the code for the broadcast that had revealed her parents as rangers. They had kept it as a reminder to all future rangers of what could happen and it now served as a reminder of the kind of pull that the eldest Olivers' had over the ranger population.

"What the hell," Brian said as he looked over at the two of them. "Are the two of you insane?"

"You aren't the first to question my sanity," Tommy said as Brian just stared in complete awe. He had never thought that Tommy would say something like that. "It's just part of being a ranger for so long. Now are you going to leave this alone or will I have to bring in reinforcements?"

"I should be all right," Brian said as Tommy nodded that he thought that would be the case and then headed back upstairs.

"Josh, can you train them on the mechanics this afternoon? I've got to get up to the dojo for my advanced kids. Aiden, you're excused today," Tommy said as Aiden looked back at him in shock, he had thought that his dad would insist that he come. Obviously whatever was going to be taught was more important. "Make sure they get it, it might just save them."

"I know," Josh said as Gracie looked over at him and he just shook his head that he would tell her the story another day. Right now was not the time for him to be telling his ranger stories, when he was just trying to keep himself from drowning in the aftermath of their relationship being revealed to four high school students. The fact that all hell might very well break loose was the least of his worries.


	8. Chapter 8

"Grace," Josh said as the others walked out of the room and she looked back at him. He knew that he had some explaining to do and he was not sure if it would make things better or worse, but she deserved to know, at least as much as he could bear to tell her right now. There would be a day when it all came out, but at the moment he was struggling with reality enough as is. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Gracie said as Aiden looked over at her and she nodded that she would be fine, he could go on. In actuality, she needed to be able to talk to Josh without anyone else interfering, which she knew Aiden would do if he stayed. This was the first real bump that their relationship had had and she knew that they had to work this out soon. Right now was a time in her life when she could not leave things unsaid or to chance.

"I'm sorry that I never told you, I couldn't," Josh said as Gracie looked up at him and then reached over for his hand. He looked lost as he tried to explain to her why it was impossible and then only thing that he could come up with was something that might still get him killed. "It's just that…your father would have killed me."

"You better be glad I didn't kill you," Gracie said as Josh looked over at her and he let out a sigh. He had known that this would be the way that she reacted when it came down to it, but he had still hoped that this wouldn't happen. That she would accept some of this because she was also in the same world that he had had to hide from her. "How long has he known, exactly?"

"Since the first time we met outside of school. He has always kept an eye on you from down here and when he saw that, he talked to me the next day, explained some things, scared the living shit out of me to tell you the truth," Josh said as Gracie stared at him. She could only imagine what her father had said to him and how uncomfortable that must have been for him, even if he was a former ranger. This was not a former ranger topic that he was talking about, it was who his daughter was interested in and she knew just how protective he was of her, he was the same way with Lizzie. "He explained what was going to happen to either you or Aiden and wanted to know if I still wanted to be a part of it all. I couldn't walk away from you, I was already too far gone."

"So you knew that this might happen?" Gracie asked as Josh nodded his head yes. "How did he know that I would tell you?"

"I'm not sure, it's part of his mystique, he always knew things that we would do before we did them," Josh said as Gracie just shook her head. People always made remarks like that that had worked with her father as a ranger and yet she didn't understand it. He was her father, of course he always knew things that she didn't, but this seemed to be on a different level. "You've never heard the stories about them, have you?"

"No, not really, they tend to keep that life a secret from us, I don't really blame them, but it's about time they tell us, at least some of it," Gracie said as Josh scratched his head and then sat down on the couch. He couldn't tell her anything that had happened to her parents so many years ago, although he wanted to, it just wasn't his place. They were the ones that really had to explain why their kids became rangers, he certainly didn't need to be in any more hot water with her than he could help. "Let me guess, you can't tell me either?"

"Sorry, I wish that I could, I wish I could answer your questions and get you to really trust me again," Josh said as she sat down beside him and he reached over for her hand. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, it's just weird to know that you were a ranger, it's all a surprise and I never stopped trusting you, I'm just scared, very scared of what could happen," Gracie said as Josh looked away from her. "But I understand why you couldn't tell me. I wouldn't have told you, but I know the chances that you might get captured are very good, my last name tells me that."

"Thanks for the reminder," Josh said with a laugh as she looked over at him. "That was another thing that your dad brought up. He seemed to forget that I had even been a ranger."

"From what I hear, it's different when Olivers' are involved," Gracie said as Josh nodded. He could certainly see how that was the truth. Far too many things had happened while the Olivers' were rangers for it to just be ignored. He didn't think that telling Gracie that would do him any good; she probably knew the entire history of the rangers by heart, except for the select parts that her parents left out to keep Gracie and Aiden from worrying too much. "I wish you would have told me."

"I didn't know that you had become a ranger until you told me today…and I wasn't going to ask that question and risk turning you off. It's going to be rough Grace, all relationships are, but we'll make it," Josh said as he pulled her into a hug and they sat like that for awhile, allowing the silence to be comforting and not something that would hinder them. They needed to know that the other was not going to just leave because something happened and things got rough, they had to be able to truly trust each other.

"So, you want supper?" Gracie asked as Josh just shook his head. "Why not?"

"I don't think I'm up to being subjected to an Oliver meal tonight. Tell your dad to call me when ya'll get done, we need to talk some more," Josh said as they both stood and he gave her a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then," Gracie said as she watched him walk out the back doors and let out a long sigh. The problem was that when she saw him tomorrow, they went back to being teacher and student, nothing more and certainly nothing less.

* * *

"Grace, you okay?" Aiden asked as they sat in the living room together, long after everyone else had gone to sleep for the night. He had seen the weight settle on her shoulders tonight as she seemed to accept the fact that she was supposed to be the leader of the rangers. He didn't know how she was dealing with so much being put out in the open at once, but somehow she was.

"I don't know…I thought that it would be better once Mom and Dad knew about it," Gracie said as Aiden just shook his head and placed his arm around her.

"Let me tell you something, it doesn't really matter what we want right now. They have another team to train and we just happen to be on that team. They've got to get over the shock first, then they'll worry about everything else, including your boyfriend," Aiden said as Gracie nodded and he pulled her into him. "Twin, listen to me, we're in for a long haul, but if we make it, we'll be the best they've ever had."

"I don't want that Aiden, I want to be able to go back to being myself after this is over, not carry on for them," Gracie said as he took in a long breath. He knew that wouldn't happen to them like it did with everyone else. Even if he was not the child truly chosen to carry it on, he would help, it was only right. "But you can't tell me that is going to happen. We're rangers now, we're stuck doing this for the rest of our lives."

"Until we have kids Grace and they are old enough to take over," Aiden said as Gracie just shook her head.

"I don't want my kids to have to do this Aiden, I can't even imagine putting Josh through this for most of our early marriage," Gracie said as he nodded and then wrapped her up in a hug.

"You really are that serious about him?" Aiden asked as Gracie barely nodded as he let her go. "Well, we'll just have to see what we can do to make that happen. Now we better get to bed, you know that Dad will not care if we are tired in the morning."

"Yeah and Josh won't exactly be easy to deal with either. He went through high school as a ranger and we won't have an excuse with him," Gracie said as Aiden nodded and they turned to walk upstairs to their rooms. If they hadn't known better, they would have thought their parents planned to have four kids, but the rooms upstairs had been designed for rangers, just in case. They had just hoped that their children would avoid the ranger life, even with it being foretold, they still had hoped they would have a normal life. Or as normal a life as they could have being the children of an Oliver and a Hart.


	9. Chapter 9

"Gracie Oliver?" Josh asked as he took attendance for first period. Usually he knew if Gracie was there by something that she said or a laugh that he heard, but that was not the case today, which could have to do with her trying to keep attention away from herself. He was honestly dreading today, because of the fact that last night they had admitted their true relationship and today, they had to go back to being teacher and student. He didn't want to see her here, because it would mean that they had to live that much longer in secret. "Gracie?"

"She's not here today," Aiden said as Josh looked over at him and he shook his head not to ask about it. When Gracie had woken up this morning, she had a fever and within thirty minutes was throwing up everything that had not been thoroughly digested. There had been a virus going around, so it did make sense that she was sick, but the timing was absolutely horrible.

"Okay," Josh said, continuing with roll, but keeping his eyes down as to not show his concern for Gracie in a way that would be noticed. He'd ask Tommy what was wrong with her later, but right now he had to focus on the job at hand.

* * *

"Anything sound good?" Kim asked as Grace shook her head no and closed her eyes against the harsh sunlight. Any movement made her feel sick and the mere thought of food was enough to let her know she would be sprinting off to the bathroom soon enough. "You want me to stay?"

"Go teach at the dojo Mom, I'll be fine, there's nothing that you can really do for me," Gracie said as Kim looked at her and then gave her a quick hug before she stood up and headed for the front door of the house.

"If you need anything call," Kim said as Gracie nodded and then went back to a fitful sleep. Her body was aching as she tried to keep everything down that she had eaten a few minutes before, but found that task much harder than she expected.

"Mom, I'm really fine," Gracie said as she heard the door to her bedroom open and then looked up to see Fillian standing in the doorway, but barely registered that he was out of place, much less an evil being hell bent on destroying them. She was far too weak to do anything more than sleep, much less put up a fight against an evil being.

"I don't think I'm your mother," Fillian said as he walked over and then picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder in the process. "But I will be taking you to your new home."

"I don't want to move," Gracie said as he roughly adjusted her position and she felt her stomach contract as she threw up again. "Put me down."

"You're not that sick Ms. Leader," Fillian said as he then shimmered away with her in his possession. He knew that it would take the rangers a long time to figure out what had happened to her, especially since she was sick. The only evidence would be this afternoon when someone arrived here and found her missing, then they would begin the search and by then it just might be too late.

* * *

"What's wrong with Grace?" Josh asked as Tommy looked down at him and then up and down the empty hall. He had known that Josh would want to know what was going on with her, it was only natural. He just had to make the offer that he had as inconspicuous as possible.

"Stomach bug…she should be fine in a couple of days," Tommy said as he nodded and then leaned against the wall next to him. "You left your notes at the house yesterday."

"No…" Josh started as Tommy gave him a pointed look and he then nodded in understanding. This was the excuse that Tommy was giving him to go check up on her this afternoon without things looking too suspicious to anyone that might here the conversation. "I was looking for those, can I swing by this afternoon to get them?"

"Yeah, someone should be home all afternoon," Tommy said as Josh nodded and then headed back towards his classroom. He had planning last period and although he wished to just leave the school and skip out on all of this madness, he knew he couldn't. He was going to have to wait to see Grace until sometime this afternoon, preferably when her younger siblings were not around.

"Mr. Fitzpatrick? What are you doing here?" Lizzie asked as she opened the front door and looked up at the teacher, in shock. She had seen him briefly the night before, but she had been sure that he had left soon after he came in.

"I left some notes yesterday, I came to collect them and also bring Gracie her makeup work, since your dad forgot about it," Josh said, as Lizzie nodded and then allowed him inside as he took a step and then waited for her to leave him to go about his business. Lizzie, however, did not seem inclined to do so and that was going to be a problem. How was he supposed to be able to see if she was all right if he didn't actually get to see her? "Can you get Grace for me? I need to explain some of this to her."

"Sure," Lizzie said as she bounded up the stairs and then slung open the door to her sister's room, only to find it empty. Not easily dissuaded, she headed for the bathroom and then the other bathroom and then proceeded to check every room upstairs. "She's not here."

"What do you mean not here?" Josh asked as Lizzie reached for the phone and then punched in the number to the dojo. "Lizzie, where's Grace?"

"I don't know," Lizzie said as Josh dropped the calm façade and then ran up the stairs to her room, looking for any signs as to what might have happened to her and hoping that he was wrong about the feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach. If she was as sick as they said she was, there was no way that she could even attempt to fight off this being.

"Who are you calling?" Josh asked as Lizzie looked over at him and saw the anger in his eyes as well as the twitching in his left hand, which could only mean one thing: he was a former ranger and he knew what was going on.

"Dad," Lizzie said as Tommy answered the phone, surprised that she was calling him at the dojo. "Grace isn't at home."

"Lizzie, she's probably just upstairs in bed," Tommy said as Lizzie shook her head no and looked back over at Josh, who was taking deep, cleansing breaths. He looked as if he was ready to blow at any moment and she did not want to be around when that happened.

"No, Dad, she's not here and um… Mr. Fitzpatrick is doing the wrist twisty thingy," Lizzie said as Tommy's mouth fell open and he then covered his face with his hands. He knew how much restraint it was taking for Josh to let her make this phone call and do all the proper procedures, when he just wanted to pull on the damn knife and start the search. "Can I let him in the basement?"

"Yeah, you can Liz…I'll be home as soon as I can," Tommy said as Lizzie nodded and then hung up the phone.

"So, how much does my sister mean to you?" Lizzie asked as she opened the hatch to the basement and Josh headed down the steps, heading for the search console, by mere memory.

"Don't ask that question," Josh said as Lizzie looked over at him and was shocked to see that he was shaking as he punched in the codes needed. Sure, she had seen people in here before as the searched for someone, but she knew that reactions like this were not normal. They were only normal if the person searching deeply cared for the person that had been captured. She was sure that it must be her imagination, because her father would kill him if he even thought about Gracie that way. That much was something that had been made painfully clear to a few young men over the last few years, but maybe he was different, somehow.


	10. Chapter 10

"What time did you leave Kim?" Tommy asked as she walked in about two hours later, after shutting down the gym for the night. Although she wanted to be there searching for her daughter, she knew that she would be of no help, other than to keep Tommy calm, which would last for a couple of seconds at most. She knew that the only thing worse than their children being captured was if someone were to capture her again. She could only imagine what Tommy would do then. They had been through a lot and it always hit him the worst when he thought of losing her. It had been so long since there hadn't been a her in his life.

"This morning?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded and she tried to think back. She had spent most of the day at the dojo and couldn't remember the exact time of her early class, not that that was a big surprise. The classes varied on a day to day basis and it was easy enough to get confused on a normal day, but today hadn't been exactly normal. The kids in her classes had been ill tempered and some of her more talented students seemed to be in another world, now her child was captured and she had to deal with that as well. It did not look like she was going to even get any sleep tonight, but she could always hope. "8:30, 9 o'clock. I can't remember exactly Tommy."

"And you noticed she was missing at…" Tommy asked as Lizzie shrugged her shoulders. She hadn't thought to keep a time record as she searched upstairs for her sister. She hadn't even thought that that was something that would be important later.

"It was close to 4:30," Josh said, repeating this for about the tenth time, as Tommy nodded. He could see the frustration in all of his features and he knew the pain that he was feeling since he had been there more times than he liked to think about. "The scans show nothing?"

"No, nothing. I can't pick up a morpher trace or a teleportation pattern from earlier today, it's as if he just carried her out and didn't use normal means," Tommy said as the young rangers gave him confused glances, but kept their mouths shut. They had found out a couple of hours ago that they were not going to understand half of the things said, but that they needed to be there. They were the ones that would have to do the rescue mission when it came down to it.

"Hey Dad, I found her morpher in her jeans from yesterday," Aiden said as he walked back downstairs, after searching through his sister's belongings. "I'm guessing that isn't a good thing."

"Do you want me to call Billy?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded his head yes and she headed back upstairs to phone the search and rescue specialist. As many times as they had been through it, they should have surpassed Billy's knowledge, but they still found themselves calling him during a time of need. He knew ways of finding people that they couldn't even imagine and it had helped a lot in the past. "We'll find her, Tommy, you know that."

"It sounds better when she says that," Josh said as Tommy nodded his head that he agreed.

Kim, unlike the two of them, fully believed that they would find her and bring her back. They, however, had been working for close to four hours and had gotten nowhere closer than an eight hour time frame in which she could have been taken. If she was taken earlier in the day, it meant that she was probably in a far worse condition than if she had been taken only moments before Josh arrived. The odds were not in their favor and they both knew it. Kim knew it as well, but she had not been starting at the data, wondering what had gone wrong.

"Is there really nothing we can do?" Paige asked as she watched Aiden pace and Josh place his head in his hands. It was obvious that neither one of them was taking this well and neither was Dr. O, for someone so experienced in this area, he looked like he was about to break down next.

"Until we find her, not really," Tommy said as he heard a snort come from one of the rangers and saw Josh's eyes settle on Brian. He could tell that the other man was near his breaking point and wanted to prevent the scene that was about to take place. "Not worth it, Josh."

"We haven't fought Fillian since we got these so called powers. Who's to say that you aren't just pulling our leg about the entire thing and that Grace is upstairs, sound asleep, oblivious to it all?" Brian asked as Tommy and Aiden slammed Josh back down in his chair and he glared at the both of them. He wanted to cause Brian as much bodily harm as he could manage right now. He was tired, upset, pissed off at the world and ready to teach the young rangers some manner, this was not the way that searches went and it was also not the way he liked it. He wanted answers, just as badly, if not more, than they did, but there was no way to get them until they found her.

"You don't say that a ranger is missing unless you are damn sure that ranger is missing," Josh ground out as Tommy and Aiden exchanged a glance over his head. "I'm liking you less and less each day."

"You're a teacher, who happens to be fucking a student…I don't care what you think of me," Brian said as this time Josh had to jump up to hold Aiden back. No one talked about his sister like that, especially when it was something that false. He knew what she would act like if that had occurred and he hadn't seen it, he was glad because he'd have to kill Josh if he did see her like that and he actually liked the guy. Brian, on the other hand, was now treading in dangerous waters and he didn't even know that he was there.

"You think I would still be alive if I had had sex with her?" Josh asked as Brian shrugged his shoulders and Aiden seethed as he was forced into the chair by Josh and his father.

"Hell no, he wouldn't be alive. I'd have killed him and then somehow brought him back to let Dad have a go at him," Aiden said as Josh nodded that that was indeed something he knew to be true, Tommy had made that much clear from the beginning. Plus, he liked the idea of keeping his job, which he knew he'd lose if that happened.

"What's with you anyways?" Leo asked as Brian let out a huff and they all looked over at him. "You better start talking, because if you don't they might be tempted to let Aiden go."

"We're trying to find Gracie, you have no need to know what's wrong with me," Brian said as Tommy and Josh exchanged a glance. This sounded like something that they would be better equipped to deal with, without the rest of the rangers there.

"Okay, everybody out!" Tommy yelled as the teenagers rose to their feet. "Except you."

"What?" Brian asked as Tommy motioned for him to sit down and Josh then spun his chair around to face him.

"You like her don't you?" Josh asked as Brian and Tommy both stared at him, Tommy from shock that he would just come out and accuse this and Brian from the fact that he had hit the nail on the head. "Don't you?"

"So what if I do?" Brian asked as Josh took in a deep breath and Tommy grabbed his shoulder to reassure him and attempt to calm him.

"It's not so much the fact that you do, but what you're doing about it," Tommy said, calmly, feeling the muscles twitch in Josh's shoulder. He knew that if he so much as moved, Josh would pummel the boy. He was tempted to do the same thing, but he had to control himself, he had to set an example, somehow.

"She's dating a fucking teacher and you act like it's okay…like she couldn't have found someone her own age," Brian said as Tommy ran his fingers through his hair and looked over at Josh. There were reasons that he was fine with this relationship, but he didn't feel that he needed to play those reasons out to someone who wouldn't understand. He respected this ranger, like the rangers that had been his team mates. He had not had that kind of respect for a ranger in a very long time.

"It's not so much that she couldn't have found anyone, it's that she didn't want anyone else," Tommy said as Brian gave him a thorough stare. "Look, I've been in this business a long time and I promised myself that my children would get the people that they wanted, not the people that I chose for them, otherwise, I wouldn't be married to Kim."

"What?" Josh asked, as Tommy looked between them.

"Kim's mom has never really liked me that much, didn't like my long hair or karate or how I proposed or how I took care of her or my major in college, but when Grace and Aiden were born, they had a long conversation about things and ever since then I promised that I wouldn't push them any particular way. So if this is what she wants, I'm not stopping her…now if he was an abusive son of a bitch, he'd show up missing," Tommy said with a smile as Brian gulped. "If you like her as much as it seems you do, you should have said something earlier."

"Grace is just a tad bit rough to approach," Brian said as Tommy nodded his head that he knew that to be the case. She was headstrong and she was a pretty girl, those two things combined made any boy feel uneasy around her. "How'd it work with you two?"

"An accident," Josh said looking down at the floor, he knew he would have to elaborate, but wished that he didn't. It was going to reveal a lot of things that he had been hiding for the last few months. Tommy knew about the first time they met outside of school, but he didn't know what started that. He had hoped to take that secret to the grave with him. "We…I…one day my class played an impromptu game of football…I think it was the first day of school. Somehow, I accidentally tackled her and…well…"

"This isn't a story I need to hear is it?" Tommy asked as Josh shook his head no and then decided to continue. If he was going to get himself in trouble with Tommy, he might as well say everything.

"Our lips accidentally brushed and that afternoon, she stopped by, asked for help, stayed way too late and I wound up giving her a ride to the old entrance," Josh said as Brian and Tommy stared at him. "After that about once a week something would happen and she'd show up or we'd meet somewhere…it's not right, but I couldn't fight it and neither could she."

"So that's it?" Brian asked as Josh nodded. "Not nearly as romantic as I thought it would be."

"If you listen to her tell it, it's a lot more interesting," Josh said with a sad smile as he turned back to the computer screen. "But it does me no good if we can't find her."

"We'll find her, you just have to trust that she will be able to hold out until we do," Tommy said as Josh just shook his head. He didn't like the fact that they had not seen so much as a blip on the screen that could be Grace. He knew that her father was worried about her, but it was different. If he lost her now, there was no telling what kind of toll it would take on him.


	11. Chapter 11

Grace awoke the next morning, weak and confused. She could vaguely remember being thrown over something's shoulder and brought away from her house, but she didn't know where she was or if anyone was looking for her. She looked around the room, almost lazily, trying to pick out something that would let her know where she was. Then her eyes fell on the blonde hair and she felt her stomach contract. Fillian. He had captured her and not only that, he had knocked her out, somehow.

"Ms. Oliver, you're awake," Fillian said as he hung over her and she took in a shaky breath. When she tried to move her arms, she found them trapped against the table and her eyes widened in fear. She knew exactly how weak she was and that the straps were basically useless, but it scared her nonetheless. This could turn out very bad for her if it continued the way it was going. "You're right to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid," Gracie said as he held a knife against her throat and she stared at him in horror. From what she knew, most evil beings didn't stoop to conventional weapons. They stuck with weapons that most people on Earth could never have access to. This villain was different, more vicious from what she could tell. "They'll come."

"You forgot one very important thing," Fillian said as Grace didn't dare move her head for fear that the knife would dig into her flesh. "Care to try to morph."

"I can't," Gracie said as Fillian nodded that that was indeed the case. He knew that she was too weak to attempt any antics.

"And because you can't morph, they can't find you," Fillian said as he saw the pure panic race through her eyes for a moment and then let out a cackle. "Lil white wainger is worried, isn't she?"

"Get away from me," Gracie ground out, with all the energy that she could muster as he laughed and then walked out of the room. Torturing her was not going to be hard, he had known that from the moment that he had seen her. He just knew that the hell would come when Tommy Oliver did find out where his daughter was.

* * *

"Damn it!" Josh yelled as he dropped a glass bowl in his classroom and it shattered into a million pieces. He had been off all day today, as he thought about the search that he should have been participating in, and wondered exactly what was happening. Aiden had walked in this morning, looking as if he had not slept a wink last night, which he was sure was true. He had only slept because Tommy had forced him to go upstairs and lie down on the couch. After a heated argument the two of them had come to the agreement that he would stay there and continue the search with Billy and Josh would go to school. He was definitely regretting agreeing to that now, he couldn't stop thinking about her and it threw everything off.

"Mr. Fitzpatrick?" Paige asked, as she walked into his classroom and saw him with a hand over his face. She could see his shoulders shaking and wondered whether or not she should just leave him or comfort him. She knew how hard it was on him, she had seen the way that he had reacted to everything and how furious he had gotten at the suggestion that he take a break. He was in love, she could tell it, and she knew he was wondering if he would ever get a chance to tell her exactly how he felt for her.

"What do you need Paige?" Josh asked as he looked up at the young, un-battle tested ranger. She still had an innocence that he wished he could have in the ranger world, the innocence of never having been in the field, never waking up so sore that she could barely move. He knew that their time was coming, but he was jealous that they had been able to last so long without any competition. They got something that was rare in this world, something that he had never heard of happening before.

"To get Grace's homework, Aiden forgot about it this morning," Paige said as Josh barely nodded and then walked over to his desk to jot down a quick note for Grace, knowing that she would not get it anytime soon. He had to act as if everything was normal, that she was just sick, but this was not what he felt at the moment. If Tommy hadn't called the kids out, that meant that he still hadn't found her and she had been missing for over a day. The longest he had ever heard of was around that time frame and it had been one of the elder Olivers, he just couldn't remember which at the moment. "Are you all right?"

"No," Josh answered, solemnly, as he passed her the note. "Tell her to call if she needs any help."

"I will," Paige said as she turned to exit the room and he grabbed the broom to sweep up the shattered bowl. Everything was painful for him at the moment and he knew that it wouldn't get better until Grace was back with them.

* * *

"I still have nothing Tommy," Billy said as he heard the man to his left let out a sigh. They had tried everything that they could think of to find her and they still had nothing. It was the most frustrating thing that had happened to them in a very long time and Tommy was starting to become desperate. There was a certain time frame when being captured was already and could go unnoticed by the outside world, but they were quickly approaching that time. A few days out of school was one thing, but weeks on end would not work. The longer she was missing, the more ideas that popped into his head and each one was worse than the one before. "I think you should let Aiden try to reach her, they obviously have some sort of link than we don't understand."

"He's tried and it didn't work," Tommy said as Billy gave him an odd look. He had gotten there about an hour after Kim called and he had not seen Aiden try anything. "Last night…after all the other rangers left he came down here and tried, but he couldn't reach out to her to get a clue as to where she is."

"What about her boyfriend?" Billy asked as he looked back at Leo and Tommy shook his head. He did not want to ask Josh to reach out to her, he was not sure what it would do to the both of them. "Someone has to be able to reach her, you know how this goes. You were always able to reach out to Kim, one of these rangers should be able to do the same thing with Grace."

"It's not one of us and you know it Dad," Aiden said as Tommy let out a sigh. He had kept Josh away today, in the hopes that the kids would come together and start working in the way that he desperately needed them to. They were going to have to face off with Fillian soon enough and he needed them to think that they were a team, not that they could just run off to him, Josh, or Kim if things got rough.

At this very moment the sirens sounded in the Command Center and Tommy looked up at the monitor. He saw Fillian on the screen with his cohorts and took in a shaky breath, when he noticed what they were guarding. Grace looked weak, which was no surprise with her illness, but he also got the sinking feeling that none of his rangers would be able to reach her. They were going to have to deal with the cohorts.

"Okay, guys, you only get back up this time," Tommy said as he teleported a very shocked Josh into the Command Center and then tossed him his old morpher. He had hoped that Josh would never have to use it again, but if this was the only way to get Grace back, then he was going to let him. "Get her back."

"Don't worry," Josh said, as he silently morphed and the others followed his lead. He was furious about what had happened to Grace and he just wanted to get her back to safety without anything else happening to her.

"What do we do?" Paige asked as Josh and Aiden looked over at her.

"You are going to distract whatever the hell his little minions are called while I get Grace," Josh said as Aiden nodded and they then teleported into battle. In the four years since Josh had been a ranger, he had thought that he would never be called back to duty, but he was wrong and it was all because of an Oliver.


	12. Chapter 12

"They'll come," Gracie managed as she felt herself slowly fading out of consciousness as she looked around at the different surroundings. It looked like buildings, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't trust her senses anymore after the last few hours. Everything seemed so distorted, she had been hit, shocked with some odd sort of weapon, and finally brought here. She just hoped that this was a step in the right direction. She couldn't imagine going back to the place he had been keeping her just to be tortured some more.

"Of course they will," Fillian joked as he saw her head lull over to the side and she finally passed out. He had been trying his best to get the young ranger to pass back out again after the first time and she had been able to endure a lot, much more than he had thought she would ever be able to deal with. He had no clue if it was the powers or her last name that had kept her with him so long, but he was going to find out. He had to find out. "Took you long enough."

"Lay one hand on her and you die," Josh said as Fillian had reached over towards her and he turned around to see who would speak to him with such authority. The red ranger that he saw was not the red ranger from this team, he knew that much. Aiden still had not completely filled out his frame, whereas this red ranger had, not to mention that the suit was completely different. He had seen it before and he had an idea of who it was, especially considering that the original red had been killed at his hands. The boy that had replaced him at the time had made things rough on him and if this was that man, he was in trouble.

"I'd like to see you try," Fillian said as he raked his hand through Gracie's hair. The look in his eyes made Josh's blood boil and he tried to calm himself as he prepared to strike. He could not fight with his emotions, he couldn't risk that again. "She's a pretty girl."

"You son of…" Josh said as he hurled himself into Fillian and the other rangers gave him a shocked look before going after the other beings that were trying to keep them away from Gracie.

"Josh, just get her out of there, you can worry about Fillian later," Tommy's voice rang out of the communicator as Josh stopped pounding Fillian and ran for Gracie, only to be thrown away from her as a shield formed around her body. "Talk to her, it might be her powers."

"Grace, it's just me," Josh said as he walked towards her again and slowly reached out towards her. "Let me in."

"Only love works in situations like this," Fillian said as he was hit by the other red ranger with a furious kick and Aiden gave Josh a meaningful look through his helmet to which Josh barely nodded. It was time to bare his soul and hope that she would accept it.

"Grace, I need you to listen to me, because I don't have much time to do this," Josh said getting as close to her as he could manage without being flung away by the shield again. He could feel it pushing him away and he took in a deep breath as he continued on. He had to get to her, he didn't know what he would do if he failed at bringing her back. "Put down the shield, I want to take you home, that's it. You know me, you trust me, and I love you, come on, let me in. I just want to take you home and get you out of here."

The shield fell away from her and he quickly scooped her up and teleported her away as the other rangers continued to fight and he landed in the Command Center, where Tommy and Billy had already set up the bed to start to wake her up. Most of his worry had left him, for a mere second, until he gave her a good look and saw the circles under her eyes as well as the bruises on other areas of her body. Whatever Fillian had put her through, he was going to make him pay, somehow, he was going to make him pay dearly.

* * *

"You okay?" Tommy asked as he looked over at him and Josh shook his head no, as he pulled off his helmet and placed his hand over Grace's. "She'll be fine Josh."

"It did no good to tell you that," Billy said as Tommy looked over at him in shock that he would actually say that. "Just reminding you that you might as well not waste your breath."

"Grace," Josh whispered as he ran his hands through her hair and she let out a loud groan. "You're safe, it's okay."

"Josh," Grace whispered as she forced her eyes open and looked over to her side to see him staring at her intently. "You came."

"Yeah," Josh said as Tommy and Billy looked at each other and then decided that it would be best if they sectioned off that section of the Command Center to give them a few minutes of privacy. They both could see just how much he needed to be able to hold onto the fact that things were really okay. "You scared me Grace."

"I scared myself," Gracie said as she reached for his hand and he smiled at the feeling of her running her thumb over the back of his hand. She always knew when he was stressed and how to make it better. "Where are the others?"

"Still out there, they'll be back in a little bit," Josh said as Tommy knocked on the partition and they both looked up at him.

"I hate to interrupt, but we kinda need you to go back out there," Tommy said as Josh nodded, then bent down to give Grace a quick kiss before he headed on his way. He did not see the distress in her eyes as he disappeared, but Tommy noticed his daughter's predicament and walked over to take Josh's seat. "Grace, he's a good ranger, he'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know," Gracie said as he ran his fingers through her hair and she gave him a weak smile. "I'm still sick Dad."

"I know, that's why I sent him in, instead of you," Tommy said as Gracie just shook her head and then heard her mother's shriek as she grimaced. "I'm in trouble."

"You didn't call her immediately?" Gracie asked as Tommy shook his head no and she laughed. "You are in for it Dad."

"Thomas Oliver!" Kim yelled as she charged him and he scooped her up in a hug and carried her away from Grace. "That's my child! Put me down!"

"No," Tommy said, calmly, as she glared at him. "Josh is going to need to talk to her when he gets back."

"Since when does that boy take precedence to her own mother, hmm?" Kim asked as Tommy held in a laugh and she glared up at him. "Don't you laugh at me!"

"He took it since she came back for him," Tommy said as Kim looked up at him and gave him a knowing glance.

"You don't think that they'll be…" Kim began as Tommy nodded his head that he did think what she was trying to deny. "She's eighteen Tommy!"

"Yeah, not much we can do about that either. Look at the two of us, how many times did you come back for me before you were twenty?" Tommy asked as her glare deepened. She did not want to think back on her days as a ranger and be able to compare it to what their children were going through now, but she could and that scared her. "Come on, watch your other child in battle."

"Aiden is in a battle?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded his head yes and she then ran for the monitor, granting Grace the much needed space.

"Thanks Dad," Gracie said as he leaned down and gave her a quick hug.

"No thanks is needed, just get me out of the hot water with your mom," Tommy whispered as Gracie laughed and watched his retreating back for a moment before she forced herself off the gurney and managed to make it to the couch before she collapsed and went back to sleep. She knew that she should try to watch the battle, but she was barely able to keep herself awake, much less go into battle if they needed help.


	13. Chapter 13

"Oh," Aiden moaned as he forced himself to his feet to face the monster that Fillian had sent after them as soon as Josh had taken Gracie away. The sweat was rolling off his body from the exertion and he could feel the muscles tightening in his back and hamstrings from the prolonged use. He knew that it had only been about twenty minutes, but this beat any sparring session that he had ever had with his dad or anyone for that matter. He had never thought that there was any truth to how tough the monsters could be, but now he knew it for a fact.

"Where'd the monster go?" Josh asked as he spun around, trying to locate the being, but seeing that there was nothing left. No monster, no Fillian, no damn helpers. This did not happen, they didn't leave before the monster was defeated. The monster would stay until it was defeated and couldn't come back, this did not happen, ever.

"I don't know and I don't care, let's get out of here," Paige said as Aiden and Josh exchanged a glance. They both did not like the feeling that they were getting from this situation.

"Something's not right," Aiden muttered as Josh nodded his head in agreement and then thought for a moment. Why would Fillian leave here? Unless… "What's that look for?"

"We need to get to the Command Center," Josh said as Aiden nodded and the five of them teleported away.

* * *

"I've never seen a battle like that before," Tommy said as they landed and Josh took off his helmet. He was glad that Tommy agreed that something was not normal about the way that this had gone down. He, however, knew that he was not going to get many thoughts out of the older ranger. Tommy was one to analyze and then speak later, when he had it figured out. "You don't think it's over?"

"Hardly, I don't think they're going to get dissuaded about losing Grace this time," Josh said as Tommy and the others gave him a hard look. "There is some reason that they don't want to fight the rest of us, only Grace. Now, how about that prophecy that's been floating around in the rumor mill?"

"No one here needs to know about it, it has nothing to do with any of them," Tommy said as Josh raised his eyebrow and the other rangers took a few steps back. They could tell that the two veteran rangers did not see eye to eye on the matter at hand and they had never really seen anyone stand toe to toe with Tommy in the past. It was part of the reason that Tommy respected the younger ranger, he'd call him on his bull shit and he didn't mind if Tommy did the same. "My judgment is just fine."

"I don't think so, you told me the prophecy when I was on your team and it had nothing to do with us, absolutely nothing," Josh said as Billy looked away from them, not wanting to get pulled into this. He knew the prophecy inside and out and thought that this team deserved to know about it, but ultimately it was Tommy's choice and he would respect that. Gracie would eventually hear the prophecy, but he thought that it would be easier to deal with now, before she had to relive what had happened to them. "What do you think about it?"

"It's not my business to tell," Billy said, simply, as Tommy and Kim looked over at him. "Your kids, at the very least, deserve to know the whole story. They're the ones that have to live it."

"It won't make any connection with Grace, you know that," Tommy said as Billy nodded, with a knowing look on his face. "What do you know that I don't?"

"Think about it, which child fulfilled the prophecy and which one will take your shoes," Billy said as Tommy's face fell and he stared at him. "Yeah, that's what I'm thinking as well."

"Will you just tell us already?" Aiden asked as Tommy looked over at Kim and she barely nodded that she was up to it. It seemed that they did not have much of a choice about doing this anymore and were going to just have to deal with it.

"Go wake up Grace," Tommy said as Josh nodded and then powered down as he walked across the Command Center.

"She okay?" Aiden asked as Tommy nodded his head yes and watched as Grace emerged from behind the curtains, rubbing her eyes, with a confused look on her face.

"What's going on?" Grace asked as she plopped down on the other couch between Brian and Paige.

"Prophecy time," Aiden said as Grace gave him a concerned look and he just shrugged. They had wanted to know the prophecy for years, but had been denied it, now they were finally going to hear why their birth was so important.

"Years ago there was a prophecy about me and Kimberly. It basically went that if I didn't live to see my first child be born, that the world would go to hell because there'd be no more rangers. The night that Aiden and Gracie were born I was captured by a being known as Mesogogg. Aiden saved me from dying, essentially, now I'm indestructible from evil. Doesn't mean I'm superman, but if Fillian comes after me, he'll do nothing more than hurt me, he can't kill me," Tommy said as they all looked over at Aiden and Gracie. "We always thought that Aiden would be the one to take over for me, but the powers chose Gracie. The prophecy must be true for this generation as well and Fillian probably knows that."

"You're suggesting that I get pregnant?" Gracie exclaimed as the others shied away from her and Josh tried to blend into the nearest wall. He did not want to lose some parts of himself by standing within arms range of Tommy.

"No, what I am suggesting is that there is a reason that Fillian has formed an interest in you. If he knows the prophecy, then he might assume that it refers to you, not me and wants to prevent the next generation of Power Rangers," Tommy said as Grace let out a groan. This did not sound like something she wanted to listen.

"And I also think that you are a little young for the full prophecy to come into effect," Billy said as they looked over at him. "It didn't come into effect for Tommy until after he had been married several years and Kim was pregnant, in all likelihood that is how this will go as well."

"But what if it doesn't go like that?" Grace asked as the eldest rangers exchanged a glance. They didn't particularly want to think about that if they could help it. "You guys looking at each other doesn't help me any."

"We're just going to have to take it as it comes," Tommy said as Grace let out a sigh and he looked away from her and over at Josh. "How are you taking this?"

"Good, as long as no babies come of it anytime soon," Josh said as Tommy glared at him while the rangers laughed. "I've already cleared my name about the sex thing, Tommy, no need for the death glare."

"She's still my little girl," Tommy said as Josh smiled. "This is not a smiling matter."

"I've already had the speech and I understand, no sex, no babies, no marriage without permission," Josh said as Gracie let out a shriek of indignation and Aiden began laughing.

"Not funny, you don't have your girlfriend reporting back to Dad everything you do," Gracie spat out as Aiden suddenly grew serious and looked over at Paige, to make sure that wasn't the case. "Paige should have to report back as well."

"Aiden can take care of himself," Tommy said as Kim looked over at him and crossed her arms. "Not you too."

"Oh yes me too, you're telling me you wouldn't care if he had three or four kids out there? Hmm?" Kim asked as Tommy ran his fingers through his hair and looked around the room, trying to find a friendly face. "Double standard Tommy."

"I know, but Aiden's ass would be mine if he had three kids with three different unwed mothers, of course, that is if anything was left of him when the girls' dads got through with him," Tommy said as he gave Aiden a stern look, that clearly said that he had better not hear of anything or all hell would break loose.

"Um…as much as I would love to keep talking about this, I think that we need to just be on our way," Leo announced as he jumped to his feet and the other three teenagers did the same. "You gonna be at school tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Gracie said as Leo nodded and then gave her a quick hug.

"So when are the two of you going to break up?" Kim asked as Billy looked over at her with an odd look.

"Ask him," Gracie said nodding towards Josh as he and Tommy were talking about something that obviously had nothing to do with the ranger world.

"What's going on here?" Billy asked as Grace looked over at him and then back towards Josh. "The two of you."

"Yeah," Kim said, simply, as Billy took in a deep breath and then nodded.

"Why isn't he dead?" Billy asked as Kim shrugged her shoulders. She had been sure that Tommy would kill someone in Josh's position if he had cared about Grace or Lizzie for that matter. "Has the fearless old leader gone soft?"

"Don't say that too loud," Kim whispered with a smile as Billy shook his head and Tommy and Josh looked over at the two of them, seeing that they had been talking about them. "Does Trini know you're here?"

"Yeah, she kinda notices when I don't show up in our bed," Billy said as Kim smiled and motioned for him to follow her upstairs. "I think the rest of us need to get to know him."

"Give Tommy a couple weeks and you'll all have some invitation up here and he'll be there as well, they just have to be careful right now," Kim said as Billy looked over at her. "Look, I can't tell her not to, not after promising myself that I'd never be my mother."

"You couldn't even make a suggestion that they wait until after she graduates?" Billy asked as she let out a sigh.

"If I thought she'd listen I would, but…they've made that choice and I don't think there's going to be any other boyfriends," Kim said as Billy gave her a shocked look. "She's an Oliver, Billy, you should know how it goes."

"They love hard, yeah I know, but I don't see you saying that Aiden and Paige will be getting married anytime soon," Billy pointed out as Kim let out a sigh. "So is Aiden more like the Hart side?"

"In some ways, he'll settle down eventually, but not right now. He may look like his father, but he doesn't have what Tommy had at eighteen," Kim said as Billy nodded and then put his arm around his long time friend.

"They are going to be fine Kim, they are the best rangers that you could have found and they're great kids, you just have to get them through this. Then it's their turn, you and Tommy can go back to having a real life," Billy said as Kim smiled and looked away from him. The problem was that their life had been intertwined with being rangers so long. They had fallen in love as rangers, had their first children as rangers, mentored more teams than they could count and that was all going to end, as soon as Gracie and Aiden were off this team. She did not know what would become of them, she knew that they loved each other, but everything was about to change.


	14. Chapter 14

"Why the long face?" Tommy asked as he crawled into bed that night and wrapped his arms around his wife. He had thought that she would be happy that they had managed to get Grace back without having to do anything too drastic. That, however, didn't seem to be the case.

"Everything is about to change, Tommy," Kim said as he looked over at her and nodded that that was indeed the case, but from how he saw it, this was not a bad change. It was a change that needed to take place, the two of them were growing too old to handle all of this stuff anymore. They should be able to enjoy when their children had children and not worry about having to field another team of rangers then as well. "And you're all right with this?"

"I don't have much of a choice about it Kimberly, we knew the day would come and we might as well make the best of it. Think of all the things that we can do once we don't have to worry about being rangers anymore," Tommy whispered as he pulled her close and she looked back at him. "What's that look for?"

"I'm scared of how much everything will change. I've never known you without some sort of ranger connection, what if we can't stand each other after this? What if we suddenly hate each other?" Kim asked as his face softened and he gave her a kiss and she looked back at him.

"We'll be fine, sure we'll have to learn some things, but it's nothing that we can't take. Look at all the things we've already been through in the past," Tommy said as Kim smiled and then snuggled closer to him. "Plus, I think our kids would kill us if we decided not to love each other anymore."

"Our kids? I think that the other originals would kill us before they even had a chance," Kim said as Tommy nodded his head that he agreed and then ran his hand gently down her side. "That reminds me, what exactly are we going to do about Josh meeting everyone else?"

"I'm not sure yet, he'll have to meet them eventually, but right now…I'm still getting used to the idea that they're dating," Tommy said as Kim gave him a stern gaze. "I know that I've known for awhile, but it's still hard, especially since they've admitted it to me."

"It's only because she's your little girl. You aren't having any trouble with Aiden dating," Kim pointed out as Tommy just shook his head. "You think this will be who she marries?"

"You want my honest answer?" Tommy asked as Kim nodded her head yes and he let out a sigh. "If I know anything about the two of them, they wouldn't be risking this if they didn't think it was worth it. He hasn't said anything to me about things becoming more serious, but that doesn't mean he won't. I wouldn't doubt them getting married, someday."

"So you're hoping they'll wait a couple of years?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded his head yes. "You don't want them to be like us?"

"I never want anyone to have to deal with what we went through at the beginning. I was worried that I'd come home and you would be passed out from an infection; I worried about losing you, I don't want the same thing for them," Tommy said as she nodded and then yawned. "We better try to get some sleep, I've actually got to be at school tomorrow, unlike Grace."

"You're letting her stay at home?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded. "Why?"

"Partially to recover from Fillian, but mostly because she's still too weak from the virus," Tommy said as Kim nodded. She had never thought that Tommy, of all people, would allow them to stay out of school. She could think of days when the both of them had barely been able to move, but they still went. However, this was different. Grace had been attacked when she was already weak and now they just had to make sure it didn't happen again anytime soon.

* * *

"Grace feeling better?" Josh asked the following afternoon as he and Tommy walked back to their classrooms.

"Yeah, she was this morning, can I get her work from you?" Tommy asked as Josh nodded that he would bring it to him. He understood why Tommy was not letting him show up at their house two days in a row, but it still bothered him. For the last several months, he had seen her nearly every day, even when they weren't supposed to see each other. He knew what he felt and he knew that timing was the only thing that kept him from moving this relationship forward or at least into the public.

"Well hello," Fillian said as Josh entered his classroom and looked up to see the being standing in front of him. "My oh my, you were a ranger weren't you?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Josh said as he positioned himself in the open doorway, in order to have an easy exit. He knew that he could fight his way out of it, but he wanted to avoid that at all costs. If he did this here, he was sure to be revealed.

"You were a ranger, it's that simple," Fillian said as he took a step towards Josh. He looked extremely familiar to him, but he didn't know why. "And you love her, you know that love does odd things to a ranger."

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Josh said as he looked him dead in the eyes. "Now would you please leave."

"It's not that simple and we both know it. Gracie Oliver is about to become the single most powerful ranger that has ever existed and I ask, what will we do to stop it?" Fillian asked as Josh gave him a confused look and then crossed his arms across his chest.

"I'll do nothing to stop it, I can't speak for you," Josh said as he took a step back and out into the open hallway. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

"Work? That's what you call being a mentor nowadays?" Fillian asked as Josh just shook his head and watched the being disintegrate in front of his eyes. The moment that he was sure Fillian was gone, he grabbed his things and bolted for Dr. Oliver's room. He honestly did not want to stay there any longer than he could help, especially after that encounter. If Fillian knew who he was, then they were in trouble. He was supposed to be kept secret at all costs.

"I wasn't in a real hurry to get the work, it's Friday, I don't have any classes at the dojo until seven," Tommy said as Josh skidded to a halt in front of his door and he laughed, until he saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"He knows who I am," Josh said as Tommy placed the papers he was grading to the side and then stood up, walked over to the door, and shut it. "And I have no clue how that could have happened."

"Fillian seems familiar to me, I just can't place where he's from," Tommy said as Josh gave him a confused look. "I want to say he worked with Nesthan, the evil that concentrated on the team before yours or maybe a low level guy that worked with Andron... I'm not sure. If he's been in hiding all these years, there is a very good chance that he could have gathered information and waited until the time was right."

"Why would he choose now?" Josh asked as Tommy shook his head that he didn't know. "Do you at least have any guesses?"

"I can only guess that it's because of the transition that is about to occur in the mentorship role. That has got to be the reason why it's happened. Grace has to make it through this team, that's it. Sure the whole baby thing might come into perspective, but I don't think it will. She just has to make it to the changing of the guard," Tommy said as Josh let out a shaky breath. "It's okay to be scared."

"Thanks," Josh said with a sarcastic smile and Tommy shook his head. "You don't have to deal with it anymore after this."

"But I do, even when it's handed over to her I'll still be involved, even if it's just the person to bitch at kind of involvement. You'll be different," Tommy said with a smile as Josh glared over at him. "It's the price you pay."

"And she didn't come with a warning label," Josh said with a smile as Tommy just shook his head. He was sure that Gracie would have socked him right now, but he understood. Josh had thought that he was walking away from the ranger world forever when he had finished his term as a red. Most rangers did walk away from it when the battle was won and the ultimate evil defeated, a select few became like the originals. If you had asked him, he would have said that was it, but little did he know that the ranger world would never fully leave him, like so many other rangers of the past.


	15. Chapter 15

"So, why are we all here?" Jason asked as Tommy looked around at all of them and then let out a sigh. He had hoped to get out of explaining this, but there was no other way around it. "This has something to do with them being rangers, doesn't it?"

"Inadvertently, yes, but it has more to do with the changing of mentors that is about to occur, once this team is done we will no longer be the mentors," Tommy said as he felt the other rangers staring at him. They had all thought that Kim and Tommy would take on the ranger mantle until they died and in some ways they would, but being the main mentors was about to be a thing of the past. "When Kim and I hand this over to Grace, there will have to be a male counterpart."

"Of course, why wouldn't there be? Isn't that what Aiden will do?" Katherine asked as Tommy shook his head no and then looked down at the floor. "What is there that you're not telling us?"

"The man she loves will be replacing Tommy," Kim answered letting out a shaky breath. "I don't want to believe it anymore than you do, but she's fallen for someone and he's a former ranger. He fits the role of a mentor already, there's nothing that we can do about that."

"When will we meet this someone?" Zack asked as Kim looked back at Tommy and he let out a sigh.

"He's outside, with the kids, although I doubt that he's eavesdropping on the conversation like they are," Tommy said as he looked back at the door and heard people scrambling away. "Never gets old."

"All our kids know far too much Tommy, at least too much for us to be sure that nothing will happen to them," Zack said as Tommy nodded his head in agreement. If he thought that he would be able to stop them from listening in, he would try, but he honestly doubted that he could do that. The kids were resourceful and they had to be, especially after the parents they had.

"I know, but hopefully we'll be able to minimize it with the changing of the guard. There are fewer rangers in this generation than there were in the last," Tommy said as they all nodded.

"But this is only the beginning of the next generation Tommy, who knows how many of our children will become rangers as well. It's not like we all planned it to happen," Rocky said as Tommy nodded his head in agreement. He, however, felt fairly confident that it would only be Aiden and Gracie that had to deal with this burden directly. The others might be called in to help or be a mentor for some reason, but they would never be rangers themselves, at least that was what Tommy hoped.

"You know, why don't we just go outside and enjoy everything today?" Kim suggested as they all stared over at her as if she had lost her mind. "I'm tired of talking only about ranger duties when we get together, it's time we enjoy our lives."

"But those duties are part of who we are," Jason interjected as Tommy looked over at him.

"So are our families," Kim said, firmly, as the room fell silent. "I know that we've never neglected them, but it's time that we start forgetting about being rangers and we start remembering what it is like to be normal."

* * *

"What do you think they're talking about?" Josh asked as he and Grace watched the younger ranger offspring run around the back yard in a mad game of freeze tag.

"Knowing them it could be anything, from what the latest news is on monsters, to you," Grace said as he looked over at her in shock. Why in the world would they want to talk about him? He was not big news at all, he was just Grace's boyfriend. Yes, he was a former ranger, but that was something that didn't need to be brought to light. "You'll have to be screened, approved by all the others."

"Please tell me that you're kidding," Josh said as Grace shook her head no and he let out a long sigh. He had found it to be a miracle that he had not been killed by Tommy when they started this adventure, now he had to face even more of them and if he knew anything about male rangers, it was that they protected female rangers in a way that could only be akin to strong love. He did not want to face five additional male rangers if he could help it.

"Don't worry too much about them, they do this to everyone I've ever dated, same with Aiden. Trust me, if you can't survive them, then you'll never be able to survive my grandmother," Gracie said as Josh gave her a confused glance. "Let's just say that Grandma Melody is a very picky person."

"Like your mom?" Josh asked as Grace shook her head no. It was true that they were alike, but not in the ways that many people thought that they would be. "Worse than your mom?"

"You could say that, I'm not really sure, to be honest with you. All I know is that she didn't really approve of Dad, probably still doesn't, knowing her," Grace said as Josh barely nodded. He was finding out more about this family than he ever thought he would need to know. "You'll do fine, you're a good guy."

"Yeah and so is your dad," Josh said as Grace just shrugged her shoulders. She was not sure what would be the verdict on the two of them, but she hoped that it would be something that she could deal with. She didn't know if she could stand knowing that someone in her family disapproved of Josh. "This team is so different from mine."

"How's that?" Grace asked as Josh let out a sigh and looked over at her.

"Do you really want to know?" Josh asked as Grace nodded her head yes and he pointed around the yard and she saw that all the rangers were spread out, conversing with various people, but rarely each other. "And that is something that is simple. Grace, I watched one of my best friends die at the hands of Fillian. How he escaped, I don't know, but now all I can think about is what might happen if I lose you."

"Josh, don't think that way, nothing is going to happen," Grace said as he looked up at her and shook his head.

"That's the kind of confidence that got all of us in trouble. We believed that we were indestructible, that we couldn't be touched because of our powers. Tommy warned us, repeatedly, that something bad would happen if we didn't come together, I watched my best friend die because of it. After that, we pulled together, became a team, that's what I remember more, but I can't watch this replaying before my eyes," Josh said as she looked over at him and reached for his hand.

"I'll be fine, you know that," Grace said as Josh shook his head no. "Why not?"

"He's only ever gone after the leader, which is you," Josh said, solemnly, as she stared at him in shock. "I cannot lose you."

"Please, don't talk like this, not now," Grace whispered as she felt her heart constrict in a sudden panic. She knew that he felt strongly about her, but she did not know that it was this strongly until now. She couldn't remember what he said to get her shield to come down, only that he had been able to do it.

"I just want you to understand where I'm coming from," Josh said as the adults walked out onto the porch and he looked back at her. "If something were to happen…"

"Josh, I'm not ready to make that sort of commitment, to give that much of myself," Grace whispered as she felt his hand gently squeeze hers and she looked up at him.

"I'm not asking you to, but I need you to know just how much I care about you. You really scared me this last week Grace and I don't know if I can go through that again," Josh said as she leaned against him and allowed him to pull her in tightly against him. They both could feel the eyes of the veteran rangers as they settled on the young couple and Josh slowly let go of her before he stood. "I might as well deal with the firing squad."

"They aren't that bad," Grace said as she stood to follow him and grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You've probably met most of them before. My father likes for his rangers to meet the old ones, even if they don't know who they are."

"Great," Josh muttered as she shook her head and then felt the eyes of the adults on them.

"Come on, they aren't that bad," Grace reiterated, as she pulled him forward. "Hi."

"Hey Grace," Jason said as he looked between Josh and the eldest female Oliver. "Good to see you again, Josh."

"I told you that they'd know who you were already," Grace said as Josh shook his head that that was not the case. "Come on."

"I know him from a mission," Josh said as Grace looked up at him and he let out a sigh. "There's a lot about my ranger conquests that you don't know about Grace and although I'd love to tell you about them, right now I don't think we have the time."

"Grace come on!" Aiden yelled as she looked back over at him and he motioned for her to leave Josh alone.

"Sorry, I gotta go," Grace said as she gave him a quick hug and then ran off.

"I should have known…" Josh said shaking his head as the other veterans gathered around him. "Before you start interrogating me, can I at least defend myself?"

"Actually, we've already done most of the questioning with Tommy. No matter what we think you ultimately have to answer to him for any wrong doing, not us," Zack said as Josh looked over at him in surprise. "Aiden did that because we need time to talk to you about ranger matters."

"There's something else I don't know, isn't there?" Josh asked as he took a seat and shook his head. "If I didn't care so much…"

"But you do and that's why you're still here when most people would have run the moment that they found out about her being a ranger and all the baggage that comes along with that title. Fillian has been after the ranger leaders for years, she's the ultimate ranger leader, the ultimate power that he could take away from this world and the only protection she has is love," Billy stated as Josh gave him a confused look and then looked over at Tommy for confirmation. Tommy only managed to nod his head yes and Josh knew that this was just as hard on him as it was on Tommy. He was having to trust that this boy, in his mind, would be able to look out for his child until she came into the prophecy and became undefeatable as well. It was something that brought this day down, but they did not know how much further it would fall before it was all over.


	16. Chapter 16

"What are we doing?" Grace asked as she followed Aiden and the other rangers to a secluded corner of the yard. Her senses were driving her crazy and she could feel that something was off, very off. She just hoped that she could pinpoint it quickly. "Aiden!"

"Grace, we just need to talk," Aiden said as she looked at him and then shook her head. "It's not like you to be scared of nothing."

"This isn't scared, this is my gut instinct that something is very wrong here. Where's Brian?" Grace asked, suddenly distracted that the yellow ranger was not in this gathering as well. She turned around to scan the yard and felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She spun around in time to see Aiden's leg headed for her head and she ducked out of pure instinct. "Aiden…this isn't you."

"Isn't me?" Aiden asked with a leer as Grace tumbled away from him and the others. She had no clue when they could have been placed under this spell, but it had obviously been only a few minutes ago. Otherwise they would have gone after her earlier, she knew that evil did not take long to take a hold and rarely waited to strike. "You are the one we have to bring down."

"Aiden!" Grace yelled forcefully as he tried to kick her again and this caught the attention of the veteran rangers, who quickly began gathering the younger children and sending them inside. Whatever was happening here did not need to have an effect on them as well. They knew that morphing and weapons would soon follow and those were things that could do a great deal of harm. "What has happened to you?"

"Just give into it Grace," Paige said as she came to her other side and grabbed the white ranger, restraining her hands as Grace looked up at her older brother, scared to death of what he might be able to do.

"Morph!" Josh yelled as he saw her fumbling with her morpher and had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He knew that Kim and Tommy could not fight their own child, but he didn't have much of a choice about that. "Come on Grace."

"You stay out of this," Aiden said as he threw a shield towards Josh and watched as he sailed through the air into the side of the house. While he was concentrating on the offending person, Grace managed to morph and quickly broke out of Paige's grasp. Her parents watched in horrified shock as Grace lashed out and threw Aiden into the nearest tree.

"I will not give in Aiden, I'd give up too much if I did," Grace said as she squared against him and watched as he morphed to face her.

"So that's how it's going to be little sister?" Aiden asked as he started towards her again and she narrowed her eyes at him. She did not want to fight him, but she had little choice about that now. If she didn't fight him, she honestly doubted that there would even be a chance of him coming back to them.

"It's how it has to be, Aiden," Grace said as they both threw themselves into the fight and the other rangers formed a protective circle around them, which served two purposes. Firstly, to keep people away and secondly to keep Grace in place if she was to become too overwhelmed, they needed her on their side and right now she was distinctly on the other side of the tracks.

"Tommy, we have to do something," Kim whispered as he looked down at her and saw the panic in her eyes. "It's the powers taking them over."

"I know, but as you can see, it hasn't touched Grace, at least not in the way that it has touched all the others," Tommy said as she looked up at him in horror. "Her protection is here."

"And he's knocked out," Jason said as he looked over at Josh and shook his head. The boy had bought Gracie enough time to be able to react to what was happening, but he didn't look like he'd stand up anytime soon.

"One second," Tommy said as he looked around at them and he then walked towards the circle, carefully. "Grace, he knocked Josh out."

"What?" Grace yelled as she was thrown to the ground and she then jumped up before anyone else could react and had Aiden forced to the ground. "Stay away or he gets it!"

"Aiden," Paige gasped as she started towards him and Grace whipped around on her. "Grace don't."

"Don't? That sounds like something that a sane person would say, not something that an evil ranger would say," Grace said as she looked back at her and Paige realized that she had been released from all of it. She didn't think that she had been under a spell, but obviously she had, at least she hadn't done any damage. "Get away, I don't want it to take you back over."

"Come on guys," Paige said as Brian and Leo shook their heads to try to clear the haze. They didn't follow, but she couldn't stay, she knew what would happen if she did.

"You're going to pay, Aiden," Grace whispered as the red ranger jerked against her. Her eyes narrowed and she smiled under her mask. She knew that she was striking some fear into the part of him that was still human and that felt good. "You've hurt the one person that means the most to me."

"Even better," Aiden said as Grace picked him up and threw him into the nearest tree with a yell.

"You are my brother, but don't think that I won't hurt you," Grace said as she continued after him and she looked back at Leo and Brian with a glare. "If you follow, you'll be next."

"Wake Josh up," Tommy muttered back to Kim as she nodded and then went over to the boy and started shaking his shoulder. She could tell that Grace was starting to connect with the evil that was involved in this power by her voice. They had to be quick or they'd lose everything that they were working to get back, especially if two Olivers became evil. They all knew just how hard it was to get Tommy or Kim to come back by themselves, they weren't sure if it would even be possible to bring the twins back.

"Josh, wake up," Kim said as she bent down next to his ear and he rolled over before letting out a groan. It may have been years since he had been a ranger, but he still had some of the spunk in him from the past.

"Good grief, what did he do?" Josh asked as he rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up.

"Don't worry about that, you've got to keep Grace from becoming evil. We can deal with one evil ranger, but two might just be a little bit too much," Kim said as Josh nodded and then stood to follow Grace and Aiden. "Be careful."

"I will be, remember, I was evil once as well," Josh said as he ran off towards Grace and Aiden. Kim stood there in shock as she took in the news that yet another ranger that was connected to them had been evil in the past. She had known that there was a certain legacy that seemed to be around Tommy, but she did not want to think about that now, not while her two eldest were fighting each other.

"Come on, Grace it would be so much easier if you joined us," Aiden said as Grace just shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and focus on the task at hand. She could feel the almost invisible pull of the evil and knew that she had to do this quickly or she'd risk falling into it herself.

"You mean you, all the others have snapped out of it Aiden," Grace said as he aimed a kick at her head and successfully knocked her to the ground and then pulled her up by the fabric of her uniform.

"You must give into it," Aiden commanded as Grace felt herself starting to shift out of consciousness from the blow that she had been dealt.

"Fight it Grace," Josh said, calmly, as Aiden looked over at him before throwing Grace back to the ground and she lay there motionless. "What have you done? She's your sister!"

"She's your lover, I'd say that you care more than I do," Aiden said as Josh squared his body at the red ranger. He did not want to do this, he did not want to fight Aiden, but he knew that he was the only one that could besides Grace, all the others risked the pull bringing them back and that was something that they could not risk.

"Listen to yourself Aiden," Josh said as the boy lashed out at him and he calmly tossed him aside. He might have powers, but he was fighting with his evil emotions leading him, not with his brain, which was the only thing that saved Josh. Aiden was a much better fighter, he just didn't realize it yet. "Tell me what kind of sense you are making, accusing me of things that you would have killed me of two days ago."

"Grace is a big girl, she can take care of herself," Aiden said as Josh looked over at the white ranger for a brief moment and then back at Aiden. He could tell that the boy was about to bolt and he had to try to keep him here. If he was amongst the rangers they might have a chance to quickly bring him back.

"This isn't you," Josh said as Aiden then threw him away and teleported himself away, as the other young rangers stared in shock, while the veterans gave each other disturbed glances. They knew just what it meant now that Aiden was gone and they knew just how much harder this had made everything.


	17. Chapter 17

"Damn it!" Grace yelled at the top of her voice as she paced around the Command Center. As much as Josh wanted to, he knew that he would risk physical harm if he tried to calm her right now. She was in a place that no one could really help her out of, she had to do this on her own, only their words of encouragement might help. Guilt was a hard thing to deal with and it was something that rangers often dealt with during their term. He had hoped that she would have been spared longer than this, but she hadn't been and now she faced some tough decisions.

"Grace, you were knocked out, there is no way that you could have stopped him," Kim said as she grabbed her daughter by the arms and forced her to look into her eyes. She could see the desperation, the anguish; that she had failed to protect her rangers and she knew what that was like. How many times had she seen that in Tommy's eyes in the past? How many times had he seen it in her own when something had gone wrong? They were a walking history of everything that could possibly happen to rangers, everything: good or bad. She had to get her to understand, just like Tommy had done in the past for her, otherwise she was not going to be able to do what needed to be done. "You cannot blame yourself for this."

"But I do," Grace said as Kim looked over at Tommy and then let out a sigh. "What was that for?"

"You don't know how many times this has happened to your father or I and we've blamed ourselves for it, but we never got the person back while we were in this stage, you have to be able to accept that the evil took him and now you need to fight to get him back, if you're not willing to fight for your brother, this isn't going to be pretty. We're going to have to do it the hard way," Kim said as Grace looked over at Josh and he barely nodded that she was right. The sigh that she let out was more than enough to let him know that she was not too happy to accept this as the truth.

"I might not be the person that has the most pull on him, think about it, Paige came out of it because I threatened Aiden. She might be a better person to send after him," Grace said as Kim took a step to the side and Josh then wrapped her up in a strong hug and she felt herself buckle. She had been holding up a good front for all of them, but right now she just let the grief of the failure take her over as she clung to him.

"It's okay, we've all had this happen to us, at least once," Josh said as she hiccupped against him and he let out a sigh. He had watched as one of his best friends had turned evil in front of his eyes and he had not been able to do a thing about it. When he had been evil, he could remember feeling a pull to hurt the person that could save him more than anyone else. He had nearly killed Tommy in his evil state and he would always live with that. He had nightmares about when he actually managed to do it and that was something he hoped Grace would never have to deal with.

"He's my brother, I should have been able to do more," Grace sobbed as Josh barely nodded and gently rocked her in his arms, attempting to lull her to sleep. It was well past midnight and they had been searching for Aiden's signature for hours, but had only found small blips here and there. He was on the move, he knew better than to stay in one place or they would be able to trace him, find him. The evil had a very solid grip on him and he was in full survival mode, sure that at any moment the rangers could come down on him and trap him, somehow. He didn't know how unrealistic that was, but there was no need to provoke him, not now.

"Once someone turns evil, it takes a lot to get them back Grace, you'll get him back, it'll just take some time," Josh said as she barely nodded against his chest and he closed his eyes in an attempt to stem the flood of memories that threatened to overwhelm him.

"You're sure there is nothing we can do?" Paige asked as Tommy looked over to her and shook his head yes. As much as he wished that he could say that, he knew that he couldn't. Every situation like this was different and just because one person had reacted a certain way in the past, it didn't mean that another person would react the same in the same situation. It was a guessing game and it always had been.

"The only thing that you can really do is be there for him, let him know that you'll accept him back, no matter what. He needs to hear that, he needs to know that you are on his side, even when you aren't," Kim said as Tommy gave her a confused look. "It helped me when I was evil, it might help him."

"At this point I'll take any suggestions, I'm not sure if he'll take after either one of us or if he'll be worse than we ever were," Tommy said as he looked over to see that Josh had now gathered Grace up in his arms. "Take her upstairs, she needs some rest."

"Do you want me to leave her and come back down?" Josh asked as Tommy shook his head no and everyone stared over at him in shock.

"Aiden knows that Grace is the most likely to be susceptible to this, he'll try to get to her if we leave her alone. She is no where near as strong without you there," Tommy said as Josh barely nodded and then exited the Command Center, leaving the other rangers in shock. He knew that if he stayed there a moment longer Tommy might just change his mind and all he wanted to do was hold her and make sure she slept. This night was going to haunt her and being there was the only thing that he could do.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Tommy Oliver allowed a man to be in his daughter's bedroom," Jason said as Tommy glared over at him, as all the others laughed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that you're rooting for the boy."

"I might be," Tommy said as Jason's mouth hung open and the other rangers stared at him in shock. They had teleported their own children home earlier in the evening, with strict instructions to stay in the house, do not answer the door for anyone and if Aiden showed up to call here immediately. Luckily, Aiden seemed to be staying close to Reefside, in particular, close to this house. He was waiting for a time when Grace would be susceptible and then he was going to strike.

"You can't possibly be serious," Kat said as Tommy just shook his head as he smiled. None of them knew the entire story of why he was allowing this to happen and why he was all right with it. Part of it did have to do with the fact that Josh had once been a ranger under his command, but the other part had to do with the way their relationship was. He knew that if he pitched a fit about it, Grace would hate him for the rest of her life. He was not willing to risk that, not now at least.

"I am," Tommy said as he let out a sigh and turned back to the monitors. His family had been pulled apart before, usually because of some mission that he would have to go on that would risk their lives if they knew, but this was different. This was Aiden, his oldest child, the child that had saved him from dying and he had no clue how to bring him back, how to make things right. The only one that might have a chance was so emotionally drained that it might take her days, weeks even, to face him again. Every team has its hiccups, but this was one that they all would have preferred to avoid completely.


	18. Chapter 18

"Um…" Grace muttered as she shifted in bed and snuggled closer to the warm body next to hers. Her mind was just starting to wake up and did not find it odd that there was another person in bed with her, another person that was holding her in a way that only one person possibly would.

"Morning," Josh whispered in her ear as her eyes lazily opened and she then gave him a tender kiss. That was when her thoughts came crashing down around her and she jumped away from him with a start. What the hell was he doing in her bed? And why was he still alive? "Grace…"

"What are you doing here? Does my dad know you're up here? How did I get up here?" Grace rambled as he sat up and gently grasped her hands in his. Her attention slowly returned to him and she let out a sigh. He always knew how to calm her, even when she decided to go on a ranting tirade like a three year old. It was just the way that they were together"Sorry, but can you explain it to me?"

"Grace it's fine, I was sure that you wouldn't remember a lot of what happened when you first woke up anyway, it's what happens when something like this occurs," Josh said as she gave him a curious look and then the real memories hit her. The fight with Aiden, him attempting to pull her to the other side, Josh coming to her rescue, and eventually Aiden walking away from them all. She had no clue how she could possibly forget that but she had and there was no turning back from that fact. "That's why I stayed, Tommy was worried that Aiden might try to come after you if you were left alone."

"You can't stay here every night," Grace said as he nodded that he knew that, but last night had been an exception to most of the rules that had been outlined for their relationship. The fact was that none of the others would be able to keep Aiden away from her at this point, only he could and that was something he didn't particularly like facing. He knew how easy it would be for Grace to go over to the other side and he couldn't live with himself if he let that happen.

"But I needed to last night, come on, I think you need some breakfast," Josh said as he stood and then pulled her out of bed. He certainly had not minded sleeping next to her last night, it made him so much more comfortable, relaxed even, to hold her in his arms. "We'll get him back."

"I know, it's just hard to believe that he's gone in the first place. He's my twin, I've never really been on the opposite side of anything before with him, not anything that counted," Grace said as Josh barely nodded and led her downstairs to the kitchen. He could vaguely remember where Kim kept some of the cookware from their midnight cooking sessions several years before, but he did not have to worry about that. Kim and Tommy were already up and huddled over the kitchen table in a tense silence. "Morning."

"Morning, how'd you two sleep?" Kim asked as Grace smiled and Josh had to try to keep his face in a less than ecstatic expression. "That good?"

"It's the best sleep I've had in awhile," Grace said, honestly, as Kim barely nodded and then motioned for her to sit down next to her.

"Your father and I were just talking about what we're going to do with Aiden," Kim said as Grace barely nodded as Josh sat down beside her and took the cup of coffee that Tommy pushed in front of him. It did not matter how long you had been a teacher, coffee became something of a habit in the morning, if not throughout the day as well. "We can't risk you being brought in by the evil either."

"What? How are we going to get him back if I don't face him?" Grace asked as Josh looked between the two mentors and saw the burden that they had placed on themselves. This was something that only Tommy and Kimberly would do to themselves and after yesterday, he didn't blame them. Aiden was just too strong for Grace to face. "Mom? Dad?"

"We'll have to face him, he can't hurt us, not the way that he could hurt you," Tommy muttered as Grace shook her head that they couldn't. Aiden was far too strong for them to face without any powers.

"Dad, he could kill either one of you, I can't let you do that," Grace said as Josh took her hand and shook his head that there was no need to argue with them about this. The decision had already been made and she was just going to have to accept it. "Why are you agreeing with him?"

"Because he was the one that brought me back, the only one that could when I was that far gone, it's what has to be done Grace," Josh said as Grace stared over at him in shock. She could not believe that he was actually agreeing with them.

"You are all out of your minds! Aiden could kill you," Grace said as Tommy and Kim looked at each other. They knew that she had reason to be concerned, but they could not help but be more concerned for her than she was for them. They had dealt with things like this before and although it would hurt to face one of their children in this way, they could not let that child kill another.

"He could kill you as well," Tommy said, solemnly, as Grace looked over at him and just shook her head. There was no reason to think like that, she could hold her own against Aiden, she knew she could if she just focused her energy into it.

"I'd be fine Dad," Grace fired back as Josh looked between the two older Olivers'. He could hazard a guess at what was running through their heads and he couldn't blame them for thinking that, he certainly would have done the same thing if he was in their shoes and the way it looked he very well could be there in the future.

"I will not have one of my own children kill another one," Kim said, with a steely intensity that made Grace's blood run cold and she could not help but shiver. She had seen her father get that determination in his eyes and heard it in his voice, but this was the first time that she could remember her mother doing the same thing. She looked ready to do drastic things if Grace crossed her on this one and that alone made her decide it would not be worth it.

"You just have to let us do this Grace, we'll get him back," Tommy said as he stood up and then walked over and grabbed Kim's hand before he guided her downstairs.

"I can't believe them," Grace muttered as she looked over at Josh, who had a faraway look in his eyes.

"I can, you're their rangers and they would have done this for any of the other teams that they have had in the past, it only makes sense that they would do this for Aiden as well. You just have to trust them, they are really good at what they do, Grace," Josh said as Grace just shook her head. He was not getting why this was such a big deal. He seemed to think that this was just another normal thing to add to the ranger tally for the legendary team of an Oliver and a former Hart.

"They're both in their forties, they are getting too old to do this," Grace defended as Josh scratched the back of his head and then scrunched up his nose. He did not think that the case, Tommy still had form that would beat almost anything, evil or otherwise, that crossed his path. He also knew that Kim was no pushover either, even if she didn't display her fighting skills as readily.

"I wouldn't let them hear you say that Grace. They may be getting older, but if I know anything about them, they've definitely done more things than you can honestly imagine, even without powers. Your dad did nothing special to bring me back, other than fight me…and I nearly killed him. Your mom didn't help with that team, if she had it never would have gotten that bad with him…I have to live with that for the rest of my life, Aiden doesn't deserve to live with what he would almost do to you to bring him back," Josh said as Grace stared over at him as she tried to figure it all out. She had no clue how he could have kept all of this from her.

"You almost killed my dad?" Grace forced out as Josh barely nodded his head yes and she let out a loud sigh. "I remember him being in the hospital for several weeks. Was that you?"

"Which time?" Josh asked as Grace let out a sigh. Her father had wound up in the hospital more times than she could count over the years. The doctors and nurses knew them by name, knew that Tommy had an allergy to coconut, that Kim had had cancer and that the both of them had a lot of accidents. The nurses had even gotten used to which types of jello they liked, they had been there so often.

"All I remember about it was that he landed in the house and Mom…Mom really flipped out, I don't think she had ever seen him that bad," Grace said as Josh scratched the back of his head and looked away from her. "So that was you?"

"Yeah," Josh admitted as he looked away from her. "After it was all over, Tommy told me everything he could remember about it, filled in all of my blanks, which happened to be a lot of things. I did things I never thought I'd do…I threatened to come after all of you. That was what pushed him to fight me, I could have taken so much away from you."

"You can't go back and change what happened back then, Josh, I know you wish you could, but you can't. You've got to live for today, because we've got no guarantees that tomorrow will be there," Grace said as he looked over at her and saw the pain etched in her features.

"Come here," Josh whispered as he reached over for her and she shook against him as he held her tight. Everything was falling down around her. Her entire team had revolted against her and nearly knocked her out several times. She had gotten all of them back, but her own brother and that about killed her emotionally. There was a very good reason why she couldn't fight her own brother, right now she was half defeated as is. "It's okay to feel like this."

"I should have been able…" Grace trailed off as the front door was blown off the hinges and they jumped up from the table to see Aiden standing there.

"I've come to get you little sister," Aiden said as Josh stepped in front of her and she stared at him in shock. Why was it that everyone was protecting her from him? She could stand her own against him.

"Go get your parents Grace, I'll hold him off," Josh said as she stared at him. "Grace, go!"

"You love her, don't you?" Aiden asked as the younger Oliver's stumbled down the stairs.

"Liz, Jared, go back upstairs," Josh said as the two looked at him and then did as he asked. They knew what was going on with Aiden and they knew it was best to stay away from him, at all costs.

"You love her, don't you?" Aiden asked as Josh glared over at him.

"Don't ask that question, you know the answer," Josh said as Aiden charged towards him and Josh forced himself to face the much stronger, evil ranger.

"No one is worthy of that," Aiden said as Josh tossed him over the kitchen table and onto the floor, promptly slamming the entrance to the Command Center shut in the process.

"You're one to talk at the moment Aiden," Josh said as he was tossed off the man and into the refrigerator, which shook with the force of the blow.

"Josh!" Grace yelled threw the closed door and he realized that they had no way out, except the cave if he couldn't maneuver over to the knife rack in time.

"Give me a second," Josh yelled back as he continued moving them towards his destination and was shocked when Aiden kicked the mounted opener off the counter.

"This is between us now, you've made that much very clear to me," Aiden said as they heard Grace's gasp and then the thundering off feet as the other Oliver's scurried to the cave exit. For reasons unknown, none of them thought about simply teleporting in to the kitchen. It didn't seem logical at the time.

"Aiden, you don't want to do this," Josh said, calmly as he backed away from the enraged ranger. He had been there, he had done the exact same thing to Tommy and it seemed that fate wanted Aiden to do this to him, to make him pay for his own sins.

"Yes, I very much do," Aiden said before he laid into the man in front of him. Josh's survival instinct told him to fight back and fight he did, but it was not enough and he soon found himself lying on the ground, wondering if this was how Tommy had felt when he had done the same thing. "Any last words before I finish you off?"

"Tell Grace, I love her," Josh whispered as he solidly passed out and Aiden glowed an eerie shade of red as the evil was thrown out of his body, in time for his parents and twin to run in the front door and see the scene in front of them.

"Josh…" Grace whispered as the terror gripped her heart and she ran over to the man that was lying on the floor, blood pooling around him from an unknown injury. "What have you done Aiden?"

"Grace," Aiden started as his sister stood up and he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What have you done?" Grace yelled at him as Tommy stepped in the way and grabbed his now sobbing daughter as she attempted to go after Aiden herself.

"It's okay, he's going to be fine, Kim's calling an ambulance. It's going to be okay," Tommy whispered as she shook in his arms and Aiden sat down on the couch as he covered his face. He couldn't remember most of it, he remembered the things he had said to them, some of what he had done and he remembered Josh's last conscience words, words that he was sure would haunt him for the rest of his life.


	19. Chapter 19

"He has been stabilized Mr. Oliver, but he took a pretty nasty fall and it will be weeks before he is up to functioning like normal again," Dr. Jacobs said as Tommy merely nodded his head and walked back over to the waiting room. Josh's parents had been called, but they had not made it to the hospital yet. He was almost glad that they weren't here yet, considering the reaction that Grace was still having to this and that she was supposed to be someone that was only a witness. She was not a good enough actress to make that believable.

"Thank you," Tommy said as he walked over to the waiting room chairs and slumped down next to his daughter. Aiden was standing at the far corner of the room, avoiding all the other rangers questioning gazes. He had refused to talk to anyone and Tommy felt that it was just a matter of time before Grace truly exploded. She blamed herself for some of what happened, but she was mad as hell with Aiden. "Hey, he's going to be okay."

"I'm going to kill him," Grace muttered as she looked up at Aiden and Tommy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I will let you do that, but not here," Tommy said as he put his arm around her and the others gave her a concerned look. She was not in a very good place right now, they could all tell that, but they hoped that she would come back to them soon enough.

"Can I just go? They won't let me back there, so I…I might as well leave," Grace whispered as Tommy barely nodded his head yes and she then stood from her seat and headed out.

"Grace…" Kim started as Tommy placed his hand on her shoulder and barely shook his head. "Tommy, you can't let her continue like this."

"She needs some time to think, Kim and we need to let her have that," Tommy said as she barely nodded and then took his hand in hers. "I don't know what to do this time. Let's face it, we've become so used to all of this, it happens a lot with us."

"I can't really remember the first time it happened anymore," Kim said as Tommy nodded his head that he agreed to this. He had long since forgotten the first time that he felt what it was like to watch someone that you cared for lie in a hospital bed. Usually, in his case, it was because he had placed her there, but for Grace, she might as well have, at least in her own mind. She thought none of it would have happened if she could have brought Aiden back, but she hadn't been able to do that. In her mind she had failed them all.

"Neither can I, and that might be why it's best for us to give her some space," Tommy said as Kim barely nodded as Aiden walked over to them and sat down next to her.

"How are you?" Kim asked as he hung his head and she placed her hand on his back and gently rubbed it. He felt horrible for what he had done, but there was nothing that he could do to change what had happened and what the evil had made him do.

"I feel like crap, I've never…I never thought that I would do something like that, that I could," Aiden muttered as Kim wrapped him up in a hug and he closed his eyes. He most definitely wished to stay away from all of them, but it seemed that they were not going to give him that choice. He was going to have to face what he had done sometime and it would probably be sooner than he wished. Grace definitely had something in mind for him.

"No one does when they begin this, but you learn to expect the unexpected. You'll learn to live with it Aiden, you can't let it rule your life. You'll do much more good to outweigh the bad, but you gotta get past this," Kim whispered as Tommy let out a sigh and then looked around the waiting room and saw Josh's parents standing in the entrance.

"Kim, get them out of here, I'll handle the Fitzpatricks'," Tommy whispered as Kim barely nodded her head and started herding the rangers out of the hospital. It was one thing for them to talk to Tommy, it was another thing if they got the opinion that people knew more than they were telling.

"Dr. Oliver, what are you doing here today?" Jane asked as Tommy rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sigh. "If you tell me that Josh has had some sort of accident at your home, I'm going to start believing that we are going back to his high school days."

"He did, fell down the stairs," Tommy said as Jane let out a sigh as Derrick walked over to the two of them.

"Tommy, we both know that is complete and utter crap," Derrick said as Tommy looked between the two of them and then nodded for them to follow him out of the waiting room.

"I'm not going to argue that point with either of you. We've been friends for years and you know that I wish things were different, but they aren't," Tommy said as Jane and Derrick both nodded. They had met when they took their toddler son to karate classes with Tommy years ago and the man had asked for advice on his own children. The friendship formed from there and now they were again wondering what was happening to their son.

"Can you give us a truthful answer?" Derrick asked as Tommy took a step away and propped himself up against the wall. "I'm taking that as a no."

"I can, but not here, not now. Josh knows the answer, just as well as I do, you can ask him, tell him it's all right to tell you, but don't be surprised if it's something you don't want to hear," Tommy said as Jane and Derrick barely nodded.

"It's nothing illegal, is it?" Jane asked as Tommy shook his head no and laughed ever so lightly. "That makes me feel better. What was it this time?"

"Concussion, he'll be okay in a couple weeks, but it'll be a little while," Tommy said as Jane let out a groan.

"Couldn't he ever just break his arm at your house?" Jane asked with a laugh as Tommy let out a sigh. He had a feeling that Josh was going to spill the beans or he'd have to, either way things were not going to be nice once they found out.

"Things wouldn't be interesting if he did that. I've got to go run damage control with my own kids, so if anything odd happens, give me a call," Tommy said as Jane and Derrick nodded. "You still have the number, right?"

"Yeah, I wasn't going to lose that piece of paper anytime soon," Jane said as Tommy barely nodded and he then headed towards the exit. He was not eager to stand around, although he was sure he'd hear about the backlash later.

* * *

"Grace," Josh whispered as he came to and his parents exchanged a glance. "Grace."

"Josh, Grace isn't here," Jane whispered as she ran a hand through his hair and he let out a moan. "Don't move, everything will be fine."

"Grace," Josh whispered again as they exchanged a glance and then moved away from the bed and then walked out of the room. They did not want to talk about their suspicions in front of him, especially if they were wrong about who he was asking for.

"Do you think we should call Tommy?" Derrick asked as Jane shook her head no and then let out a long sigh. "You know exactly who he is asking for, it's his oldest."

"I know, but I honestly doubt that Tommy will want to hear that he is asking for her. He's always been protective of them, especially of her," Jane said as Josh stumbled to the door and looked out at them.

"Please get her, please," Josh said as they looked at him in confusion. "I wouldn't be asking if I thought it would get her in trouble, please, get her for me."

"They've all left Josh, I don't know if she'd come back," Jane said as he held onto the doorway to steady himself and he took in a ragged breath.

"She'll come, just call," Josh said as Derrick caught him and guided him back to his bed.

"Why would she come?" Jane asked as Josh settled back against the bed and he let out a sigh. He had not wanted to admit this to anyone but the rangers, now he was facing telling his parents.

"Mom, I'm not sure you want to know," Josh said as he looked away from them.

"I have the distinct feeling now that I want to know Joshua. If it is what I am thinking, then we have a lot to talk about while you can't walk away from me," Jane said as Josh let out a frustrated groan and glared at them.

"Mom, I no longer live at home, this is something that you don't need to know about," Josh said as Jane and Derrick looked at each other before Jane picked up her cell phone and then dialed the number of one of their closest friends.

"Tommy, how are you?" Jane asked as she heard the man let out an odd sigh. "I'm going to put you on speaker phone."

"Fine," Tommy said as his voice came out over the speaker and he just shook his head. "Why am I on speaker phone?"

"Well my son is asking for your daughter and he won't explain why he is asking for her. I thought you might want to know that," Jane said as they all heard Tommy's sigh and Josh could not help but smile.

"Josh, you need to start talking, about everything, somehow it's gotten to that point and there is no other solution," Tommy said as Josh's mouth dropped open. "I know you don't want to talk to them about any of this, but we don't really have a choice anymore. It's time that they be brought into this, all of it."

"You can't possibly be serious, our identities is one of the most important things that we have going for us. I'm not even supposed to exist anymore," Josh said as his parents gave him a confused look. "You know what I mean, Tommy."

"Yes, I do, but they don't and they are the ones that you have to talk to about this. My feelings have gone out the window and in all reality they don't really matter with your parents. They are the ones that you must talk to about this," Tommy said as Josh let out a sigh and glared at the phone. "I'm sure that's not what you wanted to hear, but that's the truth of the matter."

"If I could come through that phone right now…" Josh muttered as Tommy chuckled.

"Josh, I know that you would love to beat the living crap out of me for what I am suggesting that you do, but you're going to need them behind you, I realized that I'd need my parents and it made things easier, especially when I had to ask them to watch my children for unknown amounts of times. Now, Kim and I could always do that, but, let's face it, we aren't safe," Tommy said as Jane's eyes widened and Josh just shook his head.

"Do I have a grandchild on the way that I don't know about?" Jane blurted out as Josh and Tommy laughed.

"Don't worry about that sort of thing for a little while, I've gotten some promises out of him," Tommy said as Jane dropped the phone and Josh leaned back and groaned.

"Okay, Tommy, I'll tell, just don't say anymore," Josh said as Tommy let out a laugh.

"I'll talk to all of you later and Jane, don't be too hard on him, remember that I'm fine with everything that is going on," Tommy said as he hung up and Jane looked back over at her son.

"Do you want me to act as if I have pity on you or do you want me to rant and rave?" Jane asked as Josh looked over at her. "I just want to know, because I can tell you what I'd rather do to you."

"Just don't be too loud," Josh murmured as he let out a sigh. He had no choice about what he was going to say anymore and he just hoped that they didn't decide to kill him. He had just survived one life threatening situation and was getting tossed into another one.


	20. Chapter 20

"Liz, Jared, go on upstairs," Kim said as the two of them nodded. Neither of them wanted to watch Grace explode towards Aiden, which they all knew was coming, it was only a matter of time at this point. "I'm going to give you five minutes to say whatever you need to say, but after that the two of you are going to start working this out instead of arguing."

"Fine," Grace said as Aiden walked into the living room and Kim looked between the two of them.

"No destroying anything in this room, do you hear me?" Kim said as the two of them nodded and she then walked into the kitchen. As much as she wanted to stand in there and defend Aiden, she knew that Grace needed to get this out and then things should get better, that was all that she could hope for at them moment.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Grace asked as Aiden sat down on the couch and looked up at her. She was furious with him and he didn't blame her, but he was her brother, hopefully she'd be able to forgive him. "I don't give a damn that you were evil, why go after him?"

"He didn't leave me much choice, you were the one I wanted to go after, but he wouldn't let you stay. He wouldn't let me go after you," Aiden said as he felt her glare intensify. "I'm not blaming him for what happened, all I am saying is that he stepped in to protect you, he knew what could happen and he willingly accepted that."

"You really aren't helping yourself," Grace said as Aiden let out a sigh. He knew that she wasn't going to like what he said, but lying to her wasn't really an option. She knew what had happened and all he could do was try to explain it. "I love him."

"I know and if I could have really controlled myself I would have stopped, but I couldn't. If you need to hit me, go ahead, because you really can't do anything to make me feel worse than I do," Aiden said as Grace reared back and slapped him. He sat there for a moment before he looked up at her and she just collapsed into his arms. "He's going to be okay."

"How did all of this happen?" Grace cried as Aiden closed his eyes and held her tight. He couldn't answer that question and make it all better, he just had to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right. That was all that he could do. "I don't want to be a ranger anymore."

"Don't say that," Aiden whispered as she looked up at him. "It's the one thing that has kept this family alive for so long and I know it's a burden, but it's worth it. We're rangers, deep down we always knew that this was in the cards for us."

"I just never thought it would be this way," Grace forced out as he rocked her back and forth. For years he had been her protector, even if he didn't like to think about it that way, now that was no longer his job. There was someone else in her life that looked after her better than anyone else could and he loved her, unconditionally, not that she knew that and he was not going to ruin her finding that out from him.

"I don't think either of us did, but it's okay, we'll get through it," Aiden said as Grace looked up at him as she let out a sniffle. "Mom gave you five minutes to rant."

"I'm okay," Grace whispered as Aiden barely nodded as he just hugged his twin to him. They were so alike and yet they were so different. It was what made it so that they could be friends, as well as brother and sister, which was something that didn't happen much anymore.

* * *

"All right, I'm going to give you the cliff notes version. I really don't have the energy to do much more than that," Josh said as they both looked at him. He had always kept this a secret, not even hinted at the fact that this might exist. They probably had their suspicions, but their wildest ideas would not come anywhere close to this. They probably thought he snuck out of the house to go to parties, not to save lives when he was a teenager.

"Okay, that is one hell of a preface for some sneaking around in high school," Derrick said as Josh barely nodded. His hands clenched on the hospital sheets and he let out a very shaky breath. He could not imagine what they would think or how they would react.

"When I was a senior, I became a Power Ranger, at first I was the blue ranger and then Baker died, in a battle, in my arms. I took his place as the red ranger, became the leader of the team. Then I became evil and nearly killed Tommy, which caused me to come back to myself. After I graduated, we defeated the evil and I gave up my powers, went back to being a normal human being. At the beginning of this year, I started seeing Grace, Tommy has known since the beginning and now she's a ranger, the white, their leader. Aiden went evil this time, the choice was me or Grace and she had already taken a beating the day before, I couldn't see that happen again, so I took it," Josh said as he sank deeply into the pillows and watched his parents. Neither of them were yelling, but he could clearly see the shock on their faces. He was sure that he was about to get a mouth full from at least one of them, if not the both of them.

"You did all of this as a teenager?" Derrick asked as Josh barely nodded his head yes and waited for his mother to speak.

"Tommy didn't kill you?" Jane asked as Josh smiled and shook his head no.

"Mom, you'd be surprised at what he actually said to me," Josh said as Jane gave him a slightly confused look. The only thing that she could imagine Tommy saying involved several curse words and a good deal of yelling upon finding out that his seventeen year old daughter was dating a teacher. "He was kinda happy, truth be known. I know you probably want to yell and scream, but I've got a really horrible headache. If you can wait a few days, I'd appreciate it."

"I just have one question for you, before you try to get some rest," Jane said as Josh barely nodded his head, knowing that he might as well deal with whatever it was now than wait until he had some more consciousness about him. She would have an excuse to yell at him then. "Why did you want her?"

"Aiden asked the one thing I wanted before he was going to kill me. I've never told her how I really felt about her, in that moment I honestly thought I'd never get the chance," Josh said as he wiped his eyes and then let out a shaky breath. "I've never been that close before, in any of the battles, it scared me."

"And you thought of her, son I never thought this day would come so soon," Jane whispered as Josh just shook his head. "I guess if Tommy is all right with it, then we can be all right with this, but isn't she still in school?"

"Yeah, so I'd really appreciate it if it just stays between the few people that it is between right now," Josh said as Jane and Derrick both nodded their heads.

"You sleep and I'll see what we can do about getting her here," Jane said as Josh barely nodded and his head fell against the pillow and he was soon in a sound sleep.

"I never thought that we were going to hear something like that from him," Derrick muttered as Jane smiled and just shook her head.

"Well, we knew that he was hiding something from us lately, it shouldn't be a surprise that it was something of this magnitude. He's always been honest with us in the past, no matter what," Jane said as Derrick nodded and he then stood up. "Where are you going?"

"We're going to give him some room while we work on that promise of yours, he doesn't need any additional pressure from us at this point. The boy is scared, really scared," Derrick said as Jane smiled and shook her head. She could only imagine what the boy had admitted in those moments and she knew just how heartbreaking something like that was, especially if you thought you'd never be able to really say it.

* * *

"Why did you call?" Grace asked as she looked between Jane and Derrick as they stood in the waiting room. "I'm kinda confused to be honest with you."

"Drop the act Grace, you've never been good at lying to people, even your parents," Derrick said as Grace looked up at him in shock. She had not thought that they would be able to see through her so easily. "Plus he explained some things."

"I'm going to kill him," Grace murmured as they both laughed.

"I wouldn't suggest that you do that, at least not until you hear him out," Jane said as Grace barely nodded and then followed them back to his hospital room.

"I'm not sure if I should even be here, considering everything that is going on and…" Grace trailed off as the adults exchanged a glance over her head and then opened the door and shoved her inside. "Okay, guess I don't have a choice."

"Grace," Josh whispered as his eyes fluttered open and she quickly closed the distance between them.

"Hey, it's all right, I'm here," Grace whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Grace," Josh said, focusing on her and he let out a sigh. "I was so worried that I would lose you, never see you again."

"But you're fine, don't think about things like that right now," Grace said as he placed his hand over hers and she smiled down at him. "Aiden is better, all because of you."

"Not really because of me, what I said to him maybe, but because of me, no," Josh said as Grace's eyes widened dramatically. "He would have killed me Grace, I have no doubt about that, being honest is what saved me, not anything heroic."

"Honest? About what? What could possibly bring Aiden out of something like that?" Grace asked as Josh forced himself to sit up and she looked over at him. She was honestly concerned about his health and didn't want him to stress anymore than need be, but it seemed that he was doing that at the moment. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm just not sure how to tell you this, I'm not sure if I'm completely ready to tell you this," Josh said as Grace gave him a confused look.

"What in the world could possibly be that serious Josh? I've never seen you like this before," Grace said as he covered his face and he then reached over for her hand and pulled her into his lap. "What is it?"

"I don't know how to tell you this," Josh whispered as she gave him a hug and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I will listen to whatever it is, good or bad. I think that you deserve at least that after everything that you have done for me," Grace said as he let out a sigh. She was making this too easy and he still felt as if his stomach was being tap danced on, which was something he didn't enjoy in the least bit.

"It's nothing bad, I'm just not sure if I'm ready or if you're ready or if you even really feel the same," Josh said as she looked up at him.

"The worst that could happen is for me to say that I don't feel the same now," Grace said as he looked away from her and she gave him a concerned look.

"I don't know if I could take that right now and I don't want you to say what I feel unless you feel it too Grace. There will be a time when I'll tell you, but right now, it seems like it's not right," Josh said as she barely nodded and settled closer to him.

"I love you," Grace whispered as he gave her a shocked look. She had said the words so easily, without even really thinking about it, although she meant it, she really meant it. She did not know if she could live without him anymore and that scared her and excited her at the same time. "What? Josh?"

"You feel the same," Josh barely whispered as her eyes widened. The boys she had dated in the past had never felt anything more than an attraction to her and she often felt that had to do with the way she looked, not with who she actually was. "I didn't want to pressure you to say anything, to feel like it was something you had to say it back to me. Grace, I've never felt like this about someone before, I love you, I love you so much."

"Glad to hear it," Grace said as she propped herself up and kissed him. "Let's get some sleep."

"I'd enjoy that," Josh said as she snuggled up against him and the two of them were soon asleep. When Josh's parents returned, they could not help but smile, but they both knew that things were going to be rough for them. Things could not be public or known and that was something that bothered them both, as they knew the stress that could put on someone, they had lived it.

* * *

"Don't you think it's time that we tell them the truth?" Jane asked as Derrick looked over at her with a confused look. "At least Josh, he deserves to know about how we were."

"I am not encouraging this anymore than it already is being encouraged," Derrick muttered as Jane looked over at him. She did not feel like pointing out to him just how much of a hypocrite he was being at the moment. She knew that when he got like this, there was nothing that she could do to talk to him into listening to what she was saying.

"You do have to admit that she does wonderful things for our son. I can't remember him ever being so calm in his life," Jane said as Derrick barely nodded. "That's why I am suggesting that we go home. He doesn't really need us anymore."

"And how will we explain this if someone walks in on them?" Derrick asked as Jane let out a gentle laugh.

"Who will be walking in on them? The only ones that even know he is here are the ones that know about them, I think it would be worth it to give them time alone, without us, without anyone," Jane said as Derrick barely nodded.

"Stay in the waiting room? Just in case someone does try to come in here," Derrick said as Jane smiled and shook her head. He was not going to admit anything to their middle child, but he was also not going to allow something to happen to him either if he could help it.

* * *

"What time is it?" Grace murmured as she half woke up and looked over at Josh, who was still sleeping soundly.

"Late enough," Fillian said as Grace jerked straight up from the bed and turned around to face the man, suddenly wide awake. "I was right about the two of you, I have to work harder now. Aiden didn't kill him, which was the original plan, not sure what will happen next."

"Why are you here? Haven't you hurt him enough?" Grace seethed as Josh slowly woke up and looked over to his left, barely recognizing the other person in the room.

"Do you have to shout Grace?" Josh murmured as she looked back at him and just shook her head.

"He is not the one I want to hurt, you are. You see, you are messing with the plan that I have been working on for close to a decade. Your parents were the last rangers that could have contested what I am doing, your brother being my little slave would have worked, but no, he had to turn back," Fillian said as he stood up and stalked towards Grace as she slid herself backwards over Josh's body and he gave her a confused look. "I will get you Gracie Oliver, it's only a matter of time."

"Did I miss something?" Josh asked as the shimmering from Fillian disappearing caught his attention and he placed both his arms around Grace as she took in unsteady breaths. "Grace…"

"He wants to kill me," Grace muttered as he sat up and pulled her in closer.

"He's not going to touch you Grace," Josh whispered as she rested her head against his shoulder and he tried to calm her down. "I won't let him."


	21. Chapter 21

AN: I would like to thank prophet144, who made a suggestion that will be put to full use in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!

"Quiet, class, quiet!" Josh yelled as the students looked up at him. He still had a goose egg on his forehead from one of the punches that Aiden had served him, but other than that he had a clean bill of health. The effects of the concussion where wearing off and he was feeling more like himself each day, he just couldn't take a lot of noise at the moment.

"Mr. Fitzpatrick, what happened?" Melody asked as he shook his head.

"I had a little accident, fell down some stairs," Josh said as they all looked at him in shock. How in the world could stairs cause that much damage. "I can be a real klutz sometimes. Now, what did you learn while I was away?"

"Just a little bit of everything, the sub jumped around a lot," Tyler said as Josh nodded and he then flipped open his textbook and pulled out the notes that he had made.

"Well, I guess that we are going to take a quiz and see if you actually learned anything," Josh said as he heard the teens let out a sigh and he averted his gaze from Grace's seat, knowing that he would not get a welcome look from her this morning.

* * *

"Josh!" Carrie yelled as he turned around and saw his old teammates walking towards him. He honestly was not surprised that Tommy had called them, things were definitely getting rough for him and his team was the perfect thing to help him in this situation. They understood a lot of the things that had happened and could help with teaching the new team, somehow. "What happened to you?"

"Did Dr. Oliver call you in?" Josh asked as Carrie shook her head no and he gave her a confused look. Why were they all here if Tommy hadn't called them in? They wouldn't know about what was going on otherwise.

"Why would Dr. O call us in? Just heard some rumors from your parents about you getting hurt, looks like they weren't lying," Carrie said as she reached over and ran her hand through his hair and he pulled away. The last thing he needed was for Grace to be mad at him, especially after the step that they had just taken in their relationship only a week before.

"You okay?" Ben asked as Josh nodded his head yes and the others looked at him.

"My girlfriend wouldn't be too happy if she saw that Carrie," Josh said as Carrie looked over at him and her eyes widened. They had dated while they were rangers and she had thought she'd hear when he started dating someone else. "I have to go help with some training, so you might as well just come over there as well."

"This doesn't sound like retirement," Elisha said as Josh scratched the back of his head.

"Just follow me out to Dr. O's house," Josh said as they barely nodded and then exchanged glances.

"Do you notice that he didn't tell us who he was dating?" Carrie asked as Josh walked away and Ben barely nodded his head yes. "Why wouldn't he tell us?"

"I can think of why he wouldn't tell you," Elisha said as Carrie looked over at her. "You're still hopeful that he'll come running back to you, saying that he was wrong to break up, but he's moved on."

"The two of you are in good relationships, I haven't dated anyone since him, it's been too hard," Carrie said as Elisha put her arm around the former pink ranger and gave her a hug.

"He's moved on, it's time that you do as well," Elisha said as Carrie barely nodded.

"I wish it was that easy, but it's not…I need to know, see who he's dating, then it will be real," Carrie said as Elisha nodded and they then followed Josh's car as he headed towards the familiar stomping ground of the Oliver's.

* * *

The former and current rangers lined up against each other and took their sparring stances. None of them had thought that this was what they would be doing this afternoon, but here they were. Carrie had paired up against Grace, by chance and it was that chance that was going to cause a lot of problems that afternoon.

"Grace, honey, take it easy. You don't want to kill your sparring partner," Tommy said as Grace glared over at him and he took in a deep breath. "Did something happen that I don't know about?"

"Ask your former rangers," Grace said as Josh cringed and he knew then that Grace had seen Carrie's actions earlier that afternoon. Right now they could not really have any tests in their relationship, they were going through enough with trying to hold on and keep it a secret. He didn't need an ex-girlfriend to cause them problems.

"Grace," Josh said as he turned around to face her and then got kicked in the side by Aiden. "Thanks."

"You took your attention off of me, I simply took advantage of that, like any monster would," Aiden said as Josh turned back to him and gave him a gut check.

"I won't be fighting any monsters any time soon," Josh said as Aiden squared his shoulders towards him and gave him a lopsided grin.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Mr. Mentor," Aiden said as Josh's eyes narrowed and his fellow rangers looked over at him. "When the two of you get…"

Josh's hand landed flatly on Aiden's mouth and he gave him a confused look. Now the sparring had stopped and Tommy scratched the back of his head in an attempt to try to think of a way to keep from speaking about all of this. He knew that Josh was still close to the rangers he worked with, but he knew that they didn't know about this relationship. No one really knew about it, that had not been told reluctantly. Neither of them wanted to risk his job, because he wouldn't be able to get another with that sort of thing over his head.

"Do you want to explain all of this?" Carrie asked as Grace straightened up and tugged at the bottom of her shirt and let out a sigh. She still remembered them hanging over each other when they would come visit when they were rangers. She was sure that Carrie would not like to hear that Josh had moved on to someone that she wouldn't even view as an equal.

"I don't have to explain it to you anymore and I would prefer not to explain it to any of you right now," Josh said as they all looked around and sized up the other rangers. If he was being called that by Aiden, there must be a reason, a very valid reason.

"Who's the leader?" Ben asked as the eyes of the older rangers focused on the boy wearing red and Grace laughed.

"I am," Grace said as Carrie stared over at her, before she tackled the young ranger to the ground.

"Carrie!" Josh yelled as the male rangers began pulling the two girls apart and Grace stared at her in shock. There had been no reason for her to do that, she couldn't have figured out their relationship. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Grace whispered as Josh turned back to Carrie and she just stared at him.

"You're fucking Oliver's daughter?" Carrie yelled as Ben and Elisha looked away. They didn't really want to deal with what was about to happen. Keeping the peace was something that they had learned to do a long time ago with Josh and Carrie.

"No," Josh, Tommy, and Aiden said simultaneously as Carrie shook her head.

"Like you'd admit to it, you didn't even have the balls to tell him what we were doing in the Command Center the night he caught us," Carrie said as Josh closed his eyes and Tommy looked between him and his daughter. None of this seemed to be a shock to her, which meant that the two of them had at the very least talked about having sex, although he was fairly certain that they hadn't, yet.

"A lot of things change in five years Carrie, including who I date," Josh said as she just shook her head.

"You were supposed to be the man that was my white knight, that would always be there for me," Carrie yelled as Josh let out a sigh. He had told her he'd protect her and that he'd always be there if she needed him, but right now she didn't and he knew that. She just didn't like who he was dating.

"I'll be there for you, but not as a husband, not as someone that will love you in the way you want me to. We're over, we have been for a long time, Carrie," Josh said, gently as Grace silently fumed in the background. If the two of them could come to some sort of agreement, she wasn't going to say anything, although she desperately wanted to give them both a piece of her mind.

"You bitch!" Carrie yelled as she moved around Josh and stood toe to toe with Grace.

"Step away from my daughter," Tommy commanded as Carrie was flung out of her rage and looked up at her former mentor. "You can yell and scream at him all you want, but she wasn't the one to break the two of you apart. You did that just fine on your own."

"Dr. Oliver, you can't possibly be all right with this. She's five years younger than him," Carrie said as Grace shook her head.

"It's four," Grace said as Carrie looked over at her.

"What did you say?" Carrie asked as Grace let out a sigh and turned to face her.

"It's four years younger, not five. We were born in December, so we started school a year later," Grace said as Carrie stared over at her and just shook her head.

"One year doesn't matter," Carrie forced out as Grace just shook her head. "Dr. Oliver?"

"I'm fine with it Carrie and I'm getting tired of defending how I feel about the two of them dating to everyone that has found out. If I was not fine with this, everyone would know, he wouldn't have a job anymore. All that I am asking is that you don't ruin this for the both of them, I can certainly think of some things that you would not be grateful for if they were to happen to you," Tommy said as Carrie gave him a shocked look. He couldn't possibly be threatening her, she was one of his favorite rangers. "That's a promise, not a threat Carrie."

"What's the difference?" Carrie asked as Kim walked over to the rangers and waved her hand at Tommy.

"A threat is something done to prevent an action, it may or may not be done if the person does something. A promise is something that will be done if you cross that line," Tommy said as Carrie barely nodded and he headed towards his wife. "Something wrong?"

"We've got a problem, Tommy," Kim said as he gave her a confused look. He couldn't really think of anything that could be going wrong, unless there was a monster attack. "Not a ranger problem."

"A family problem?" Tommy asked as Kim barely nodded her head yes and he looked back at the others and then turned back around. "Do you need Grace and Aiden too?"

"No, just you, for a couple minutes," Kim said as Tommy barely nodded and then walked away with her. "How do you feel about another person living in our house?"

"Like who?" Tommy asked as Kim looked down at her feet and he felt a chill run through him. There were only a couple of people that they knew that would make him uncomfortable.

"Mom," Kim said as he stared at her in shock. "She called from New York, said that she's flying out here to spend some quality time with her grandchildren. I asked about her boyfriend or whatever he is and she said they were through and she felt like coming back to California."

"She wants to stay with us until she gets on her feet?" Tommy asked as Kim nodded her head yes and he let out a sigh. "I can't tell you not to let your mother stay here and the kids have missed seeing her."

"But now isn't exactly a good time with everything that is going on," Kim said as he barely nodded that he agreed as he looked over to see that Carrie had jumped on Grace again and the boys had decided it best to let them fight it out.

"We'll figure it out tonight. I've got to stop the two of them from killing each other," Tommy said as she barely nodded as he jumped in and pulled Carrie back from Grace, as Josh did the same thing with Grace. "Can't the two of you cool it for just a couple minutes?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. O, your daughter just happened to be in line with my fist," Carrie said as he released her and looked down at her in disgust.

"You are a Power Ranger, a person that is supposed to have morals and virtues and to live by those morals. Now you are yelling and fighting because you didn't get your way? I'm sorry Carrie, but life it rough, you should know that already. I'm not going to allow you to continue to do this, not here. If the two of you have a problem with each other, you are going to settle it away from me. You are one of my rangers, but she's my daughter, I won't let you continue this," Tommy said as Carrie stared at him in shock. Whatever Kim had said to him, it must have been something unexpected. Dr. O didn't fly off the hinges like that very often.

"Dad, you okay?" Aiden asked as Tommy nodded his head yes and then looked over at Kim who was walking back towards the house. "What did Mom say?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, come on, I want to get some more sparring in before the sun goes down," Tommy said as the rangers diligently feel into their positions and Carrie moved away from Grace. She knew that the girl was a lot tougher than she was letting on and she didn't want to risk what might happen to her if she pissed her off again.


	22. Chapter 22

"Kimberly! Darling how are you?" Melody asked as she was greeted by her daughter at the airport. Kim was aging well, from what she could tell, but she could see a tiredness in her eyes and she wondered what it was from. "You look worried."

"Things are just rough right now," Kim said as her mother gave her a confused look. "I'll explain in the car, let's get your luggage."

"Where's Tommy?" Melody asked as Kim rolled her eyes. She loved her mother, but she knew that this was just the beginning of another argument about Tommy's integrity and how much he loved her.

"At school, it is two o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon," Kim said as Melody just shook her head. "Mom, please don't cause any trouble with him. He's got enough on him without that being added."

"Why would I cause trouble? I just don't see why he couldn't come here, I've got so much luggage that it would be nice for him to be here. He's always been good for carrying things," Melody said as Kim smiled. "What's that look for?"

"I came prepared, I travel with just as much stuff as you do," Kim said as Melody smiled and they headed for the conveyor belt.

"How are the kids?" Melody asked as Kim let out a sigh. She and Grace had gotten into it this morning about something silly and she felt bad, but there was nothing she could do until Grace got home this evening.

"They're good. Grace and Aiden graduate in a few months. Liz and Jared are as active as usual. They've all got competitions coming up in the next few weeks, so it's going to be a little bit hectic around the house," Kim said as Melody nodded.

"I'll help out in any way that I can," Melody said as Kim nodded, but knew that her mother's idea of help was a five course dinner that her family just wouldn't have the time for. "Oh, there's my things!"

"Well, let's get them all so we can be on our way," Kim said as Melody looked over at her and Kim just walked towards the conveyor and began pulling them off. This was the least manual labor that she had done in quite awhile, but her mother didn't know that. She didn't know half of what was really going on here.

"So, why were you reluctant to do this?" Melody asked as Kim sat down in the driver's seat and put her head in her hands. "I could hear it in your voice Kimberly."

"Have you seen the latest attacks?" Kim asked as Melody nodded her head yes. They had been on the news for the last several weeks and although it wasn't very intense it was still eye catching. "You've completely forgotten our role with rangers, haven't you?"

"You were rangers, it's over, has been for years," Melody said as Kim let out a groan.

"Mom, Tommy and I are mentors, we've been doing that since Aiden and Grace were born, you know that," Kim said as Melody turned to look out the window, she did not wish to face Kim in this situation. She knew that Kim was not going to be forgiving with all of this.

"It must have slipped my mind," Melody said as Kim just shook her head.

"Well, that's a good slip up. It's Grace and Aiden's turn to be rangers and Grace will be carrying on for us after we're done, along with her boyfriend," Kim said as Melody turned to face her and her mouth dropped open. Even in her wildest dreams, she had not thought that Kim would say something like that in response to why she was uncomfortable with her being there.

"I know that you're serious, but this is crazy. She's just a kid," Melody said as Kim pushed up her glasses and looked over at her mother.

"You aren't telling me anything that I don't know, she's my daughter. I don't want for her to have to live with all the worry that Tommy and I have had to live with for the last few years. I'm hoping that she'll only have a very few years of it," Kim said as Melody just shook her head.

"Will I get to meet her boyfriend? He must have been a Power Ranger in the past or at the present," Melody said as Kim cringed. She had known her mother would want to meet Josh, that wasn't going to work. Her mother would flip her lid, Josh would lose his job, and Tommy's credentials would probably be down the drain as well. That was something that they couldn't afford to have happen.

"No, not yet. There are things going on that you don't understand and he's needed where he is," Kim said as Melody gave her a concerned look.

"Is she dating some guy that is a teacher?" Melody asked as Kim just shook her head. Her mother had hit the nail on the head, but she was not going to admit that, not yet. "Do the kids know I'm coming?"

"It's a surprise. Tommy and I thought it would be best that way," Kim said as Melody nodded and she let out a sigh. "I've got the stuff for supper in the fridge and if you can throw that in at around five I'd really appreciate."

"You're going back to work?" Melody asked as Kim nodded her head yes. "Why?"

"Well, I have a class at 3:30 and I can't cancel. These kids compete in a couple of weeks and they've got to be pushed, probably more than they like to be. I'd love to be at home, but it's actually Grace's class and she's got a scholarship riding on this," Kim said as Melody stared at her. "UCLA is looking at her as a gymnast for their team. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and she wants it, she told me that."

"Wow, I didn't know that she was that skilled," Melody said as Kim just shook her head.

"Mom, you haven't kept up with us that well. Aiden's a second degree black belt now. Liz and Jared are both about to get their next belt, Liz is still working on gymnastics too. They're great kids," Kim said as Melody barely nodded. She did not like the way Kim sounded, but she understood. She came to California once every three or four years, that's a lot of time with kids. They changed and she hadn't been there, but she wanted to be there now, she had to be there now.

"The house looks the same," Melody said as Kim pulled up and noticed Josh's truck in the driveway. "That's not Tommy's."

"No, it's not. Hold on just a second," Kim said as she jumped out of the car and Melody sat for a moment and then pulled herself out of the car as well. "Josh, Grace. What the hell are you doing here?"

"You want the long or the short version?" Josh asked as Grace pulled herself up off the couch and Kim saw the bruises on her body.

"Very short version," Kim said as Grace let out a sigh. "Your grandmother's here, so you better spit it out."

"Nana won't care about him," Grace said as she stretched and Kim saw another bruise.

"It's not Nana," Kim said as Grace jumped up from the couch and moved far away from the boy on the couch.

"Grandma?" Grace asked as Kim nodded her head yes. "Battle, at the school, I got pretty beat up."

"Tommy sent you home?" Kim asked as they both nodded their head. "Why would he send you home?"

"Aiden is upstairs, you'll see why when you see him," Josh said as Kim looked at the two of them and she then bolted up the stairs.

"Grace, who is he?" Melody asked as she walked in and Josh suddenly stiffened. He could see how uncomfortable Grace was and that scared him. He couldn't do anything remotely romantic, unless something odd happened.

"A friend, Aiden's kinda beat up, so he helped me get him home," Grace said as Josh looked over at her and he then stood up.

"I'll be going, call if you need me," Josh whispered as he gave her a quick hug and then he left. She could see that he was worried about her and she knew that she would probably call tonight and they'd meet somewhere, because they both really needed it. Today had been something they had never expected, a direct attack, on school grounds and Aiden had taken a lot for her, a lot.

"He seems nice," Melody said as Grace barely nodded her head. "What happened to you?"

"Don't worry, I have to run upstairs and get some makeup to cover these and then I've got to get to the gym," Grace said as she stared at her and Melody just shook her head. Something was completely wrong with this picture.

"Aiden?" Kim questioned as she walked into his room and he was changing into some other clothes, as his others where in tatters and she could see the blood covering them, as well as his body.

"Hi Mom," Aiden said as he let out a low groan. She could see welts and injuries that she could only remember seeing on Tommy in the past. "I took a beating today."

"I can see that. I'll break out some old cures we had when your dad got that beat up," Kim said as Aiden barely nodded. "First thing you need to do is go take a very long bath and soak out some of the soreness. I'll leave the stuff on the kitchen counter and a paper with directions on how to use it. By the way, your grandma's here, so don't walk around in a towel, please."

"I won't, you gotta go to the gym, so go," Aiden said as Kim nodded and she then ran around upstairs pulling out all the things he'd need and she ran into Grace as she smattered on concealer and foundation all over her wounds.

"You have one right above your normal leo line, wear a turtle neck sleeveless one, your arms didn't get too battered," Kim advised as Grace nodded and she then went back into her room and snatched up her black leo.

"Kim, what's going on?" Melody asked as Kim ran by her and placed some odd looking ointment on the table.

"Nothing that hasn't happened before," Kim said as Melody just stared at her in shock. "Make sure Aiden puts that on when he comes down, I've got to go."

"You're leaving? He's hurt and you're leaving?" Melody ranted as Kim leveled her stare on her mother.

"Yes, because I really have no choice and he's a big boy, he can take care of himself. Tommy will be home before I get home, so he can take care of it if Aiden is incapable, but I doubt that," Kim said before she ran out of the house and Melody just shook her head, when Grace followed after her only a few moments later. Hectic was something she thought she could handle, but this was crazed and that was something she didn't like. Something that she would need to consult with Kim about, because it wasn't acceptable to have to live like this.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: This is the real chapter 23, I had some issues this week with posting. Sorry, but here it is.

"Aiden, what's going on?" Tommy asked as he walked into the living room where the boy was stretched out on the couch with bags of ice over various bruises. "I thought Kim had fixed something for supper."

"Grandma doesn't think it's up to par with what we should be eating," Aiden said as Tommy let out a sigh. "I can only guess what Mom is going to do when she gets home and sees the mess in the kitchen."

"Was Josh here when she got here?" Tommy whispered as Aiden nodded his head yes. "Great."

"Yeah, I'm sure that Grace is going to be answering a lot of questions about that, but she's a tough cookie to crack," Aiden said as Tommy barely nodded. He could only hope that she would continue to hold her personal life in high regard, otherwise things would get ugly. Melody was not known to keep secrets very well, especially ones that she didn't agree with. "You know, you could ask how I'm doing."

"I know you're fine…your bruises are already starting to fade thanks to that stuff Billy made for all of us. I'm worried about how everything else is going to go, your grandma isn't exactly in love with the ranger life," Tommy muttered as Aiden laughed and then forced himself to sit up. "You do look like death warmed over, but you're not going to get much sympathy from me."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Aiden said as Tommy smiled and then gave him a quick hug.

"I have to run change. If Kim comes in, please run interference for a few minutes," Tommy said as Aiden nodded than he would and Tommy then jogged up the stairs. He desperately wanted to get out of his tie and school clothes so that he could keep Kim from killing her mother. It had been a long time since Melody had questioned their parenting skills, but now it was definitely going to come up again and the kids were too old to go to sleep in another room for them.

* * *

"Mom, what are you doing?" Kim asked as she walked into the kitchen and smelled something that was not what she had prepared earlier. "Mom…"

"Kimberly, what you were feeding this children does not have enough nutrients to sustain them, plus Aiden loves this meal," Melody said as Kim looked over at her and then tossed down her gym bag. "That should be placed in a closet."

"It's my house…I don't care if the bag is left here," Kim said, calmly, as Aiden walked into the kitchen and looked between the two of them. He really didn't want to run interference between the two of them, but he was going to have to try.

"Kimberly, your children deserve better than this crap to eat," Melody said as Kim glared at her and Aiden looked at them.

"My children are just fine Mom. We're busy, hell I barely have time to eat and sleep nowadays, much less have sex…" Kim said as Aiden let out a yelp as he plugged his ears and started singing loudly. "Sorry about that Aiden, probably something you don't want to think about."

"I never talked with you about sex. I never said anything around you about that," Melody yelled as Kim looked over at her.

"You weren't around most of my teenage life, so we didn't get a chance to talk about sex," Kim said as Melody's mouth dropped open and Aiden took a step away from them.

"You still hold that against me now," Melody said as Kim turned to face her.

"You're still mad that I married Tommy in the first place," Kim shot back as Aiden cringed.

"Mom, Grandma," Aiden said as they both glared at him and he moved away from them.

"I don't care that you married Tommy," Melody said as Kim's eyes narrowed and Aiden gulped.

"Bull shit!" Kim yelled as Aiden moved away from them. "You don't give a damn about him, the only reason you are even a bit nice to him is because he gave you four grandchildren."

"Aiden, I asked you to keep them from ripping each other's head off," Tommy said as he walked in and pulled Kim back from her mother as he held his towel up with the other hand.

"I'm sorry, I got the look of death from the both of them, I'm not getting in between that," Aiden said as Tommy gave him an exasperated look.

"You're going to have to learn at some time that you've got to do that," Tommy said as the towel started falling in the back and Aiden walked around to hold it up. "Didn't the two of you promise not to fight about this around eighteen years ago?"

"She's criticizing my mothering skills," Kim said as Tommy glared over his wife's shoulder at her mother.

"Come on Tommy, you can't be happy with pizza," Melody said as Tommy sighed.

"It's pizza Wednesday's. It's the only day when the both of us have late classes and the kids do as well," Tommy said as Melody nodded. "So, are you going to keep this up, because I'd really like to not lose my towel in front of you."

"From what I heard there wouldn't be much to see," Melody snapped as Tommy wrapped both of his arms around Kim and ditched the effort to keep his towel up.

"You bi…" Kim started as Tommy placed a hand over her mouth.

"Go upstairs Kim," Tommy whispered as she looked up at him and then barely nodded as he removed his arms and insured that the towel was still in place. He watched Kimberly walk up the stairs and Aiden looked over at his father. What was he going to do?

"Dad…." Aiden said as Tommy looked back at him for a moment and then shrugged.

"You're going to let him stay?" Melody asked as Tommy nodded yes. "You think this is responsible?"

"I'm not being responsible right now, I'm pissed," Tommy said as Melody stirred a pot. "I want you to listen very carefully, Kimberly has enough on her right now without any of this stress being added. I don't give a damn if this is what you used to do before you skipped off to France. You weren't much of a mother, so it's a miracle that she is as good of a mother as she is, so listen carefully, one more word and you're going to have to find a hotel or a flea trap for all I care, she's not dealing with it anymore."

"She's a big girl Tommy, let her handle it," Melody said as Tommy laughed.

"If you don't want to be beat to a bloody pulp, then you'll listen to me," Tommy said as he heard the front door open and Grace, Lizzie, and Jared walked in.

"Wow, Dad," Grace said as Tommy looked back at her and she laughed. "Sorry, probably not the best thing to say, the gang asked to come over tonight after we're done eating."

"Okay," Tommy said as Grace gave him an utterly confused look. "Long story."

"Okay, what's for supper?" Grace asked as Tommy looked over at Melody. "We're going to have to hurry to get supper and homework and a team meeting done."

"I'm not sure, but your grandmother will figure something out. Now I'm going to put on some clothes, call the guys and tell them to be here in thirty minutes," Tommy directed as Grace nodded and then reached for her wrist. "On the phone, don't freak your grandmother out any more than she is already."

"Okay," Grace said as she walked over to the phone and began calling the rangers.

"Hi Grandma," Lizzie said as she walked over and gave her a hug and then Jared quickly did the same thing before they ran upstairs to change.

"The food isn't going to be ready for another hour!" Melody yelled up at Tommy as he turned around.

"Then throw in the pizza and finish that for tomorrow night. I now have to go make sure that your daughter isn't going to kill you over supper," Tommy said as he continued up the stairs and Grace and Aiden exchanged a glance.

"Is Josh coming as well?" Aiden asked as Grace let out a sigh.

"Probably not, he's got other things to attend to, at least from what I heard," Grace said as Melody looked over at them.

"What does this Josh fellow have to do with anything?" Melody asked as Grace looked over at her.

"He's one of us," Grace said as Melody's mouth dropped open and she smiled. "I'm going to go change, see you in a little bit."

"So, I'm guessing that you and Mom aren't going to get along while you're here," Aiden said as Melody looked over at him. "I'm not ten anymore, I have a mind for things like this."

"Your mother and I have always had run ins over things like this," Melody said as Aiden folded his arms and looked over at her.

"It's time you get over that, because I can promise that it's going to take Dad a lot longer to talk her down than it did for you to make her that mad. Grandma, you're lucky Mom hasn't gone after you," Aiden stated as Melody looked over at her.

"She respects me as her mother," Melody said as Aiden managed a smile.

"That's the only thing that has kept her from doing something," Aiden said as he walked over to his grandmother. "We've all got a lot on us, I'm sure that Mom and Dad have told you that. Don't make this any worse, please."


	24. Chapter 24

The rangers met downstairs in silence as Tommy settled into his normal chair and looked out at them. He was wondering why in the world the kids had called this meeting, but he was sure that he was to find out why soon enough. It was more than he wanted to deal with, considering everything that was going on with his own family. If the kids wanted to get a move on with this monster, he had no problem with that, but it looked like it was going to be planned in between seven course dinners and the etiquette lessons that Melody now had planned.

"Dr. Oliver, we've been doing some research of our own with this thing that's coming after us and we've got an idea," Leo said as Tommy nodded at them. "Fillian is going after the ones that could fulfill the prophecy. What if you pass on the charge to them now, wouldn't it keep the prophecy from happening?"

"It would be a wonderful idea, except for the fact that her being married is kinda important to the plan," Tommy said as Grace's mouth dropped open in shock. "What you didn't think that marriage would be important?"

"I had hoped it wouldn't be," Grace said as Tommy chuckled. "So how do we get rid of this thing then?"

"The old fashioned way, long battles, many bruises, and probably a couple more of you being captured," Tommy said as Josh looked over at Grace and they both sighed. "You don't have to talk about it now."

"Thank God," they muttered in unison as Tommy looked down in an attempt to hide his amusement. The two of them were even more in tune than he had been with Kimberly at their age.

"So, we're going after this thing?" Paige asked as Tommy barely nodded. "Why?"

"Considering the fact that it's either that or waiting until they come after us, I think going after them might be best," Aiden said as Paige looked over at him and he saw the shock on her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm missing something. We all are meeting together to discuss what we're going to do on a school night and none of us have really gotten much sleep this week?" Josh asked as the young rangers nodded and he leaned his head on Grace's shoulder. "Wake me up when things get interesting."

"He's allowed to do that?" Paige asked.

"Yes, he's served his time, he doesn't have to listen to things like this, at the moment," Tommy said as Josh then laid down on Grace's lap. "The rest of you, as well as me, have to talk this out."

"I wish that there was a plan for this," Brian said as Aiden and Grace exchanged a glance.

"There is, but it's more a matter of waiting it out and fighting it as it comes," Grace said as the other rangers looked over at her. "I've been studying up on ranger history lately, thanks to someone."

"He's not even awake to defend himself," Aiden said as Grace smiled.

"It's the truth though, after their original red died, he explained how he dug into all the past to find out how they survived, waiting it out and fighting like hell usually works," Grace said as she ran her fingers through Josh's hair and he let out a sigh.

"At least he's happy," Paige commented as Tommy closed his eyes. He was not sure that he could handle this tonight on top of everything else going on.

"Well, while you're here and we're acting like a happy family, you might as well know that their grandmother is in town. She's not exactly the kind of woman to take things like this well. So, if something happens, only use your communicators as a last ditch effort and she doesn't know about Josh. I'd like to keep it that way," Tommy said as Grace barely nodded her agreement. "Keep up the research guys, maybe you'll find something none of us know."

"Are we being kicked out?" Leo asked as Tommy shook his head no.

"You can stay as long as you want, but I have the feeling that some of you are going to be heading to bed soon. I have to get some sleep or I won't make it through school tomorrow. Grace, Aiden, don't stay up too late," Tommy directed as he stood and then headed upstairs.

"So when are you going to tell him?" Paige asked looking over at Grace.

"Tell him what?" Grace asked as she looked over at Paige.

"Why you and dear old Josh are going through the history. It's not to learn from it, it's to try to avoid it, although I don't really blame you with a prophecy like that over your heads," Paige said as Grace stared at her and then shook her head.

"We've all had a long day, especially with the battle, I think everyone needs to be heading home before something is said that we'll later regret," Aiden said as he looked between his sister and his girlfriend, he knew the two of them were in no mood to take bull shit from the other.

"Make sure he goes home," Paige said, sweetly, as Grace glared at her and Aiden placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from jumping to her feet.

"Come on, I'll walk you out," Aiden said as he reached for Paige's hand and she reluctantly took it. Aiden was obviously mad at her, although she was not quite sure why that was the case.

"Wake up," Grace gently whispered as she shook Josh's shoulder and he merely wrapped his arms around her waist and she sighed. She hated waking him up when he had only just gone to sleep, but she also knew that they couldn't do this right now. "Josh…"

"Do I really have to?" Josh asked as Grace stifled a giggle. "No laughing at the old man."

"I wouldn't call you an old man just yet and I have no problem with you staying, it's my grandmother that might blow the whistle on us and I don't think I want that," Grace said as he looked up at her and then nodded.

"Well, since I'm already here we need to talk about some things," Josh said as she nodded and he then turned to lay on his back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just tired from everything that's been happening lately," Grace said as he gave her an unsure look. He had been certain it was more than that, but he was not sure if he wanted to push her to tell him the truth. She didn't look like she was ready for it in the least.

"If there's anything you need to tell me, call me Grace. I better go before I fall asleep for good," Josh said as he sat up and then he leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. Whatever was going on with her was something that she was not willing to divulge immediately and he had to respect that, he knew just how bad things could be as a ranger. "Good night."

"Night," Grace said as he stood up and then walked over to pull back on his jacket. She watched him as he walked out of the cave and she sighed. This was all going to be much harder than she thought, especially for Josh.

"So, is there something you want to tell me?" Aiden asked as he walked back into the Command Center to find Grace clutching her knees to her chest.

"I don't know if I can do this to him," Grace whispered as Aiden looked over at Josh who nodded for him to go ahead.

"It's his choice Grace and if he loves you enough to stick around through this, I don't think you're going to have a problem later," Aiden said as Grace looked up at him.

"I meant if I die Aiden," Grace choked out as he stared at her in shock. "There's nothing to save me like there was for Dad."

"Grace…"

"Don't," she commanded as he looked over at her and saw the fear in her eyes. "It could happen Aiden and I'm scared that it might. I can't leave him like that, it's not fair to do that to him."

"Grace, I know it's not fair, but you have to think about it. Mom and Dad have only lost one ranger and I have a feeling they don't plan on losing anymore," Aiden said as he wrapped his arms around her and she sobbed against his chest. "Hey, it's going to be okay. You gotta trust me."

"You sound like Josh," she muttered as he smiled.

"I've been learning some things lately," he said as he shook his long hair and she laughed. "What?"

"You should cut your hair," Grace said as Aiden's eyes widened and he snatched away from her as she laughed at him. "Oh come on, Dad cut his hair at some point."

"I refuse, you're crazy. Even you won't cut your hair," Aiden fired back as she smiled and Josh took a quick look at the two of them before he headed out. At the very least Grace was smiling again and now he knew the truth, but it was a scary thing to deal with. He had thought about it a couple of times as well and it was something he always pushed to the back of his mind, right now he couldn't.

"I'm a girl, I have an excuse," Grace taunted back as he stuck out his tongue.

"And I'm a black belt that's going for my second degree soon, I don't really care about my hair too much. I like it like this," Aiden said as Grace rolled her eyes and then tugged at the edge of his hair before she sprinted up the stairs and he soon followed her. When they broke through the floor into the kitchen the both of them tumbled to the floor and began pushing the other around. After a few moments they noticed their parents staring at them and they both stopped moving and then jumped to their feet.

"Hi," Grace said as Kim and Tommy just stared at them. "We'll go to sleep now, night."

"Night," Aiden mimicked as the two of them bolted upstairs.

"We have a couple crazy children," Kim whispered as she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

"I know and I wouldn't have it any other way. Are you going to be able to live with your mom?" Tommy asked as he took a sip of tea and then leaned back in his chair. He took in her settle shifts in movement and knew the answer before she could even formulate it. "You'll deal."

"Of course I'll deal, she's my mother I can't turn my back on her," Kim began as he gave her a silencing look.

"Even though she's done that plenty of times in the past," Tommy pointed out as she glared over at him. "I don't want to fight about it, but I just want to talk about it."

"I don't even want to talk about it. It will all get better when she finds a place and only visits on the weekends," Kim said as she took the cup of tea from him and then took a sip as well. "I now remember why I don't drink your tea."

"Nice change of topic. You know that could take a very long time for her to find something, she's far more picky than you'll ever be," Tommy commented as Kim sighed.

"I'm not fighting with you about this tonight, I want to go to bed and we'll talk tomorrow, please," Kim whispered as he stood up and gave her a long hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, come on," Tommy said as he pulled her up and then led her upstairs. This was something that they both hated to have going on right now, but it was going to be fine. They'd made it through much worse in the past. Her mother 'visiting' unexpectedly was not at the top of his list of bad experiences he wanted to relive, but he'd do it.


	25. Chapter 25

"It's too early," Josh murmured as he looked over at his alarm clock and groaned. He had gotten to bed at a decent hour last night, but he had not had any good dreams last night. Each one had ended in Grace dying in his arms and if that happened he wasn't sure that he could deal with every emotion that would run through him at that point. He had held Baker when he died, he couldn't lose Grace the same way.

He slowly forced himself out of bed and then walked over to the bathroom. He was really going to have to hurry if he was going to get to work on time. It was one thing if he was running late for oversleeping, but it was another if he was late because of a battle. Even if he was not a ranger anymore Tommy would kill him if he was late for no good reason. He was his own worst enemy when he lectured people on that one.

"Someone's running late," Tommy said as Josh ran by him in the hall way and he smiled at him.

"Go to hell," Josh muttered as Tommy laughed and then walked back to stand next to his door.

"Lucky that you don't have a class," Tommy said sarcastically as Josh looked back at him and he refrained himself from yelling a loud obscenity in Tommy's direction. He knew that that was not in the least bit acceptable, but so was dating a student and he had thrown that rule right out the window.

"Good morning class," Josh said as he walked in and placed his bag under the desk. "Sorry that I'm running late."

"I guess that's a trait all the ranger leaders inherit," Aiden whispered as he passed and Josh glared over at him. "I have worse news."

"Worse news?" Josh asked as he opened the door and Aiden nodded his head. "After class, my night was bad enough."

"Get a move on Mr. Fitzpatrick!" one of the students yelled as Josh looked back at him and his mouth shut.

"It's the beginning of your last nine weeks here, you sure that you don't want to do the projects I have planned?" Josh asked as the kids looked at him. "Cut and paste time, no time to make me mad."

"Even I can agree with that," Brian said as Josh laughed. He was the most fickle of their rangers this time around.

"Come on in guys," Josh said as he motioned for all of them to follow him into the room. "Aiden, I'm going to hold you to this."

"I know," Aiden murmured as he sighed and then headed to the back of the room. Grace gave him a look and then kept on moving herself. If the two of them were in on something, she was sure that she didn't want to know about it. Their plans were never good.

* * *

"What's going on?" Josh asked as Aiden packed up his stuff and looked over at him. "That's not a good look."

"Mom and Dad are heading out to Florida at the end of next week, they're going to be going to the annual conference. Guess who's in charge of watching us," Aiden said as Josh grimaced. He didn't even have to guess that one, he already knew it.

"Your grandmother," Josh murmured. "And let me take another wild guess, I'm the mentor next week."

"Lucky guess," Aiden said as Josh sighed. "Dad was going to break the news to you when you got here this morning, but you were late. So I got the fun job of doing this, I guess I'm going to need a hall pass, I've got more."

"What's more?" Josh asked as Aiden laughed.

"We're going after the bastard, really pushing for this to end sooner than normal . Dad wants to implement a new phase starting today," Aiden said as he watched Josh groan. "Yeah."

"Any good news?" he asked as Aiden cringed. He had hoped that Josh wouldn't ask that. He hated the way that the two of them were trying to figure out what was wrong with Grace, but it was the only way that they'd ever get down to the bottom of it.

"Not really, Grace hasn't said any more since the other night. Something is really wrong, she honestly has a feeling that things are going to go bad, really bad. I can't get her to shake it," Aiden said as Josh looked down.

"Baker was the same way, he knew something bad was going to happen to him and we just let him keep going," Josh murmured as he looked across at Aiden. "Have you told your dad?"

"No, I'm not sure I can." He said as he turned around and his ponytail swung in his wake. "I can't."

"I'll do it, it was my idea to put us in this mess anyway," Josh said as Aiden looked over at him. "I've dealt with this before with your dad. The news will be bad if it comes from me, it will be worse from you. She's your twin, you know things about her than I'll never know, probably things I don't want to know. If you tell your dad, he'll ask if you have the odd sixth sense thing, won't ask me the same thing. I don't have one."

"I'm not so sure about that," Aiden said looking at Josh. "You seem to be getting one as well."

"I don't have one, it's called being around her more than I should be," Josh whispered as he saw a student peak in and then duck back out. "Any way, it's something that we need to talk about later. I'm not too worried about what's going to happen."

"Famous last words."


	26. Chapter 26

Grace and Aiden sat in the back of their history class, trying to stay awake. Their parents were off at the annual Dojo's of America conference in Panama City this week, leaving them in the charge of their grandmother. They had been forced to go home early every evening tonight and they were about to lose it. The battles had killed them and they were trying to keep the peace between their siblings and their grandmother.

"So Mom and Dad are staying the night and then they'll be back tomorrow?" Aiden whispered as he looked over at her and she smiled.

"Yeah, do you think we'll survive?" Grace muttered as he gave her a look. He knew that she was about to lose it, she was even worse off than he was.

"I do and isn't loverboy coming over this weekend?" Aiden whispered with a hint of a laugh in his voice and she glared at him. She was ready to throw something at him if he said one more word about Josh today.

"Maybe, if he can sneak in after we've gone to sleep somehow," Grace muttered as he gave her a shocked look.

"You're serious? You're going to try this with Dad at home?" Aiden asked as she sighed over at him and he gave her a good look, something was wrong with Grace, but she wasn't going to tell anyone.

"I'm dying. I haven't…" Grace trailed off as Aiden's eyes widened. He prayed that she was not going to tell him anything that she might not have done with Josh.

"I do not want to know if you've had sex with him. Dad may like him, but there is no way that he will survive if the two of you have…" Aiden trailed off as she glared at him and he shook his head.

"And you'll kill him right now if I confirm it," Grace said as Aiden nodded.

"No more about that, it's been kinda quiet the last day or so," Aiden said as she threw an eraser at him and he held in a growl.

"I will kill you if we have something happen today," Grace murmured as he passed her a glance that she was unable to ignore. There was something in his eyes that said he was extremely worried about her.

"Mr. and Misses Oliver, could you please pay attention," Mr. Griffin said as the two of them slumped down into their chairs to avoid being disciplined again.

"I'm ready to go home," Aiden whispered as she looked over at him.

"Even with Grandma there?" Grace asked as Aiden's expression turned sour and she held in a laugh.

"Okay, you have a point, want to stay out late?" Aiden asked as she just shook her head. She knew better than to push things with her father in this type of situation.

"And face the wrath of Dad when he gets back? I don't think so," Grace shot back as Aiden sighed. He had hoped to get her out of the house tonight, to do something besides think about things in the ranger world. She seemed to have become obsessed with things lately and they all thought she needed a break, especially Josh. He saw things that none of the others saw with her.

"Chicken," Aiden provoked as she looked over at him. She was ready to kill him at the moment.

"Shh!" Paige whispered looking back at them. They then heard a crash of thunder and Aiden sighed. Grace really was going to kill him now. AS the sky darkened they exchanged a glance and then stood up. As the other teens ran from the room they looked at each other and then bolted.

"Guys," Josh said as they ran by and he then sighed, of course he'd have to go after them. The battles this week had gotten progressively worse, probably because the Oliver's were out of town.

He ran after the Power Rangers, as they were hyped up on the adrenaline and their powers, they were able to pull away from him easily. Grace was leading the way and it eerily reminded him of a battle he had watched a friend die in four years ago. He had been dreaming of this so much lately and it scared him. He could not relive this again, not with her.

"God Grace," Josh whispered as he tried to keep his calm.

The rangers charged forward hell bent on destroying this being. Grace and Aiden kept themselves in check as they felt a surge of power go through their veins. Their friends would never know, but they always went into battle like this, a little bit ahead of the game. A little bit stronger than the rest of the.

"Fan out! Bring every miganin to the ground!" Grace yelled as they entered the battleground and took the first look at the place.

The teens moved out fighting and destroying at they went. Aiden and Grace had broken through to the monster and they continued to fight unmorphed, something in the back of their minds was telling them to save their powers. This was the only the beginning of what was going to come.

"Grace! Morph!" Josh yelled as he stared at the monster in shock. He knew him all too well. "You will not kill her."

"I beg to differ," Imobilizer said as he launched at Grace mid-morph and she fell to the ground. Aiden launched at him, but the monster showed no interest in fighting him. He seemed to only have one target right now.

"Grace!" Josh yelled again as he fought his way to her. This was exactly what had happened to Baker, he was not going to see it happen to her. "Morph her Aiden!"

"I can't, I've never done that," Aiden said as Josh was held still and he attempted to move forward again.

"Just try it, I know you can," Josh said as Aiden barely nodded. He didn't believe Josh, but he was going to try it.

Aiden stood for a moment concentrating on Grace's form and then with a great burst of effort he managed to morph her. He stared as her morphed form dimmed and the monster was temporarily thrown away, giving Grace a chance to stand up. Josh then bolted towards her in desperation.

"Grace, get up!" Josh yelled as he saw her mask turn to face him and she barely pushed herself up.

"What's wrong?" Aiden asked as Josh reached him first and he gave him a scared look.

"That's the monster that killed Baker," Josh whispered before he sprinted off towards Grace.

"Shit," Aiden muttered under his breath as he watched the two of them. He now saw exactly how scared Josh was about what might happen.

"Grace, get up," Josh commanded as he placed his hand under her arm and she looked up at him with a tired gaze.

"I can't," Grace whispered as he lifted her to her feet and she gripped his arms to keep herself on her feet.

"Can you get out of here?" Josh asked as she barely managed to nod her head yes.

"I'm fine, I can stay Josh," Grace said as he clutched her hands and she saw the worry in her eyes. "What aren't you telling me everything?"

"I need you to leave," Josh said as she looked up at him and he then looked away. "He killed Baker, please, Grace, leave."

"No, I'll fight, I'll be fine," Grace said as he sighed. He wanted her to leave, now.

"Grace, please," Josh murmured as he placed his hands on each side of her helmet.

"I'm fine. I'm morphed, I'm not leaving you here alone," Grace said as he closed his eyes and reluctantly nodded.

"Promise you'll leave if I tell you to," Josh said as she nodded.

"Do the two of you always have little love spats in the middle of a fight?" Imobilizer asked as they looked over at him.

"Do you always kill new Power Rangers?" Josh spat back as he released Grace and she looked over at him.

"Yes, happens to be the part of my job that I enjoy the most," Imobilizer said as he looked over at Grace with a smile. "She is beautiful."

"You bastard," Josh said as he launched into the monster with all the force that he could muster. If he so much as touched Grace, he'd make sure that he had a slow, painful death.

"Leader of the rangers, the one without limits, into my midst, into your death," Imobilizer said as Josh struggled to get to her, but was held by several of the minions.

Grace stepped closer to them and pulled out her sword. Josh began to fight his way out of the pack, but was afraid he would be too late. He was able to catch glimpses of her as he fought and his hear dropped. She was susceptible to this monster as well.

"Leader of the rangers, man with the highest morals, come forth now and meet your doom," Imobolizer cooed as Grace took another step forward and held the sword up above her chest.

"Grace don't! Fight it!" Josh yelled as he was held firm again and he could not look away, even though he tried.

"Leader of the rangers, keeper of time itself, your time has ended, the deal is done." Imobilizer said as Josh let out a pain filled cried.

As the words were said Grace plunged the sword into her stomach and then fell to the ground. It took Josh a moment to figure out where exactly he had seen it before and then it hit him. Baker had died the same way.

"No!" Aiden yelled as he sprinted towards her and Josh's eyes glazed over with hatred. He calmly walked over, grabbed her sword and then plunged it into the monster's stomach.

"Monster her who kills freely, you are killed in the same way, sword of the dying kills again," Josh ground out as the monster exploded into thousands of pieces.

"Josh?" Aiden asked as he looked over at him and saw the anger lingering in his eyes.

"Let's get her out of here, before the police come," Josh finally said as he placed a hand over hers and then gripped her communicator.

The rangers teleported into the Oliver's living room and Josh quickly pulled Aiden aside. He knew that they did not have very long if they were going to have a chance of saving her from the same fate as Baker.

"Call 911," Josh said as Aiden nodded and then he sprinted off for the nearest phone. "Paige, get as many towels as you can find, we need something that might be able to stop the blood."

"Okay," Paige said as she ran up the stairs and started tearing through the linen closet.

"Grace, come on, stay with me," Josh said as he gently patted her face and her eyes fluttered open.

"Josh?" Grace muttered as she reached a hand up to touch his mask.

"Yeah, you're going to be okay, I just need you to hang on for me," Josh whispered as he leaned down closer to her and gave her hand a squeeze.

"What happened?" Grace asked as he took in a shaky breath. He knew he was going to tell her the truth, he just wasn't going to like it when he did it.

"He tricked you the same way that he did Baker. I need you to stay with me," Josh repeated as her eyes slipped off to the side and he shook her again.

"I'm cold," Grace murmured as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Grace!" Melody yelled as Aiden caught her and she looked up at him. What in the world was going on here?

"Power down," Grace whispered looking up at Josh.

"You know I can't," Josh whispered back as she barely nodded. She just wanted to see him one more time, especially if this was the last thing she ever got to see.

"Please Josh, do this for me," Grace murmured as she reached up for the clips to his helmet and he sighed.

"Grace…" Josh whispered as her hand went limp and he stared.

"Please…" She murmured as her head tilted to the side and he quickly powered down which caused Melody to gasp. Why in the world did her granddaughter want to see him?

"Don't you leave me," Josh muttered as he checked her pulse and looked at the pool of blood they were in. "How long?"

"Ten minutes, at the very least," Aiden said as Josh hung his head and then looked over as Paige ran down the stairs with towels and sheets.

"She won't make it that long," Josh said as he held a sheet over her wound. "We need Billy."

"Why?" Melody asked. She knew that Billy was a friend of the family, but surely he wasn't a ranger as well.

"Do it if you want your granddaughter to live. Paige, keep the pressure even on her stomach," Josh directed as he shook Grace's shoulder again. She was not going to die like this, he couldn't let her die like this.

"Okay," Paige said as she watched Josh's frantic motions.

"Aiden…" Josh warned as he put down the phone.

"Billy's on his way," Aiden said as Melody looked over at them. How could Billy, who lived in Angel Grove, get here faster than the ambulance?

"You're not dying on me now, I need you to stay with me," Josh murmured as he felt Grace's skin begin to cool under his blood soaked hands.

"You love her?" Melody asked, finally putting together the pieces of the puzzle. "Don't you work with Tommy?"

"My God," Billy said as he landed and looked around at the blood covered rangers.

"She can't die," Josh said looking up at the elder ranger and watched as the color drained from Billy's face.

"You aren't the only one thinking that," Aiden whispered as Billy quickly teleported away and Josh closed his eyes.

"Tommy will kill you for being with his daughter," Melody said in a tone that displayed utter confidence in what Tommy would do to him.

"He already knows," Josh said as he looked up from the pool of blood to Melody and then back to where Grace had been last. Melody stood there in shock that the boy had not been killed, but maybe it had to do with him being a ranger.


	27. Chapter 27

Billy landed in his lab and scrambled to the back of the room, he had no choice but to use the experimental formula he had been working on. It was the only thing that might stop her bleeding long enough to by her the time needed to get to the hospital. It was still in the trial stages and he was not sure if he wanted to do this, but he had to.

"Where is it?" Billy murmured to himself as he searched the shelves. For the last few years attacks had gotten progressively worse and with that news things had had to be invented. After Baker's death Tommy had come to him for something that could have saved the boy. At the time there was no known substance that could help them. Over the last few years he had experimented and he had something that would buy them only a few minutes, which would be long enough to get them to the hospital, under normal circumstances.

"There we go," Billy said as he picked up the bottle, ran back over to Grace before emptying the contents into her wound. It was only going "Got to get you back."

* * *

"There is no way I am allowing you to go in that ambulance with her!" Melody screeched as Josh looked up at her. He hadn't moved since Billy had take Grace and he didn't plan to. He was still in shock from everything that had happened today

"Grandma…" Aiden attempted as she shot him a glare and he then pushed through what he had to say. "He's fine."

"Be quiet Aiden. You young people these days, you think that rules are meant to be broken. In my day we respected the rules and the consequences of breaking them. You will be reported for this, if it's the last thing I do," Melody said as Paige grabbed Josh's hand and he barely nodded.

"Grandma, he isn't like that," Aiden said as she wheeled on him and his own glare came out.

"Your father has brainwashed you! Just like he did Kimberly!" Melody yelled as Aiden looked over at the others and then back at his grandmother. He was prepared to to fight fot this, for waht was needed.

"Don't talk about him like that," Aiden ground out as Josh finally stood and grabbed his shoulder. He did not want to see this progress past the point it was at, he couldn't handle it.

"Not worth it," Josh said as Aiden looked back at him and he could see the pure sorrow in his features. Billy then landed in the room with Grace lying on the ground.

"Towels on her stomach," Billy directed and then he teleported himself out.

"I am in charge here and I will go in the ambulance with her," Melody said as Josh glared over at her and then went back to Grace's side.

"Josh…" Grace whispered as she looked up at him and he gently grabbed her hand.

"Shh, don't waste your energy like this, I don't need to hear anything from you right now," Josh whispered as his hand gently squeezed hers and she managed to smile up at him.

"Don't leave me," Grace whispered as he held onto her hand and barely nodded. He was sure that she couldn't see the tears rolling down his face, she was barely looking him in the eye, at all.

"I won't," Josh whispered as she returned to her former state and he gently brushed her hair out of her face and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hang on, just a little while longer."

"She is not in charge," Melody yelled at Aiden as he looked over at her and then back at his grandmother.

"She's the one that is injured, her choice," Aiden shot back as Josh just closed his eyes. He was not going to leave her, not for a moment and if Melody thought she could persuade him, she was wrong.

"Aiden…" Melody began as his eyes cut her off with a look.

"No, listen and listen carefully. If she dies, he's the one she'll want, no one else. If you wish to call Dad and get his opinion, you go right ahead," Aiden said as they all stared at him.

Melody stood in silence and just shook her head. For all the problems that she had with Tommy she knew that calling him now was not smart. This week was supposed to give them time together, away from this world. Tommy would rip her to shreds with the news that Grace was hurt.

"That's what I thought," Aiden said as his grandmother's silence confirmed the fact that she was not going to challenge him on this.

"Your parents will find out," Melody said as Aiden nodded, he knew that much.

"But not right now, even they need a bit of a break from this," Aiden said as the others nodded.

"Okay, it's your call," Melody finally conceded as Aiden smiled. He looked so much like his father when he did that.

"Josh, you go with her in the ambulance. Paige, Leo, Brian, teleport downstairs and start working on this. Grandma, you and I will follow the ambulance," Aiden said as they followed the orders. As far as they were concerned, Aiden was the leader until Grace was back on her feet.

"It's a wonder this isn't being passed onto you," Melody remarked as Aiden just shook his head.

"Not my duty. I saved Dad, I've done my part," Aiden said as Melody barely nodded. She could remember Kimberly saying something about Aiden keeping Tommy alive, but it was very vague now.

"She'll save the world, I know," Melody said, as she was tired of here that her oldest granddaughter was going to be exactly like her daughter.

"Josh will help," Aiden said with a smirk as he looked up at them and just shook his head.

"By getting her pregnant, not sure how that it help," Josh said with a smile.

"Why did you have to say that? I don't want to think about it," Aiden said as he squirmed and Josh just smirked. It was nice to be able to make his skin crawl.

"Don't worry, it'll be a few years before that happens," Josh said as Aiden gagged and he laughed.

"You're going to marry her?" Melody asked as she watched Josh place a hand over the wound and he just shook his head.

"Probably, I'm planning on it," Josh said as Aiden and Melody just stared at him.

"The ambulance is here," Aiden said as Josh glared up at Melody before looking back at the towels, which were starting to soak through.

"Good, she's starting to bleed again," Josh whispered as Aiden just shook his head, this couldn't be happening.

* * *

The EMT's wheeled Grace Oliver into the emergency room at 5:22 pm. She had died once in the ambulance and they had managed to bring her back . No one was sure how they had done it, but they had. Josh stepped out of the way as she was wheeled into emergency room one, she was quickly looked at an then wheeled off to the OR.

"Sir, do you know exactly what type of blade she was stabbed with?" Dr. Pemberton asked as he walked up to the blood soaked man.

"Yes," Josh said, numbly as the doctor led him to a more private section of the hospital.

"Can you tell me what it is?" Dr. Pemberton asked as she saw the boy's face tense and Josh barely shook his head no.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you," Josh said as Dr. Pemberton gave him a confused look.

"Try me. I've seen a lot of odd injuries come through her in the last few years," the kind doctor said as he gently pushed Josh into one of the empty chairs.

"A sword, that's about two feet long, summoned at will because of her powers," Josh whispered as the doctor smiled. He had been right in thinking that she was part of the special family.

"Powers?" Dr. Pemberton asked as Josh rolled his eyes.

"I would think you would have seen the news by now. Involving some spandex loving heroes and a particularly cruel monster," Josh said as the doctor's smile widened.

"My God…" he mumbled as Josh gave him a look that clearly said he was interested in any of this.

"Told you that you weren't going to believe me," Josh whispered, feeling that there was going to be no hope for Grace.

"I actually do. She wouldn't happen to have the last name Oliver, would she?" Dr. Pemberton said as Josh's mouth fell open. How in the world had he known that Grace was an Oliver? He hadn't even looked at her chart. "I've treated Kim and Tommy in the past for some odd injuries. Tommy kinda let it slip once when he came in with a particularly nasty cut. Ever since then I've been the family emergency doctor."

"You mean injury repair man right?" Josh said as he looked up at the doctor and he barely nodded.

"That is probably a far more accurate statement about my services, but the Oliver's are very generous when the shoe is on the other foot," Dr. Pemberton said as Josh nodded. He could imagine the things that Kim and Tommy had done for him in the past that he had only just found out about.

"How so?" Josh asked.

"He managed to help me start a small non-profit practice for the elderly. I've owe him a lot because of that," Dr. Pemberton stated as he saw the anxiousness return to the boy's eyes. "You probably care more about Grace than about what her parents have done. The wound did hit some things that I am concerned about, but I'd rather wait for Kim and Tommy to arrive to explain everything."

"They won't be here for awhile. They're at the Dojo's of America conference in Panama City. They'll be back early tomorrow morning," Josh said as the doctor grimaced.

"They won't appreciate not knowing about this," Dr. Pemberton said as Josh nodded that he understood, but he was not crazy enough to call them with this sort of news.

"Your call. All I know is that it would not be in my best interest to call them up with this sort of news. I want to live," Josh said as the doctor nodded. He had certainly seen Tommy blow up about things like this in the past.

"Not a part of the family?" he asked as Josh shrugged.

"Not really," Josh said as the doctor nodded and then turned to head towards the elevator.

"Former or current?" Dr. Pemberton shouted as Josh gave him a confused look before he understood what he was talking about.

"Former," Josh answered as the doctor nodded.

"Waiting room is on the fifth floor, I'll come out and give you an update once I've gotten a look in there," Dr. Pemberton said as Josh nodded and he then looked around. Aiden and Melody had not joined him so he got comfortable in the chair. He might as well wait since this was going to take awhile.


	28. Chapter 28

"Where is she?" Melody asked as Aiden looked over at Josh and saw he was in no condition for these types of questions. He was barely holding himself together as is.

"She's in the OR," Josh mumbled as he led them to the elevator and then up to the fifth floor.

"What did the doctor say?" Melody asked as Josh looked over at her. He was thoroughly pissed off at everything that had happened today, but he wanted to deal with this alone, there was no telling what he might do that he'd regret later.

"That he knows your parents," Josh said as he looked at Aiden and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"That is completely unuseful. I cannot believe he didn't tell you more than that," Melody said as Josh looked over at her and Aiden just pulled him away from him.

"I don't have time to listen to this, can you please be quiet?" Josh said as Melody glared at him and Aiden pushed the two of them apart.

"What did you say?" Melody asked as she lowered her voice and Josh just shook his head.

"I asked you to be quiet. I'm dying right now," Josh said as he wiped his eyes and just stared at the buttons in the elevator.

"Grace is the one dying in there and you're lucky that she'll even have you. You are far below the stature of the man that she deserves," Melody all but yelled as Aiden grabbed Josh by the shoulders.

"Shut it Melody," Tommy said as he stormed into the upstairs waiting room and they all looked over at him. "Don't act like you give two shits about her now."

"What are you doing here?" Aiden asked as the two of them stopped a few feet from them. They both looked ready to kill at a moment's notice.

"We decided to come back a day early. It's a good thing that we did. Aiden, Josh, come with me. You've got some explaining to do," Tommy said as the two of them looked at each other, knowing that this couldn't be good.

"Dad…" Aiden began.

"Tommy…" Josh started.

"Not a word from either of you," Tommy said as they both cringed and he continued to storm down the hall. Neither of them were scared of him, but all the nurses seemed to be running for the hills as he passed them.

"Shit," Josh cursed as Aiden stifled a laugh. He was sure that Josh had seen him in a pissed off mood more than any of the others had in their time as rangers.

"That's a word," Aiden said as Josh slapped him on the back of the head and he rolled his head around.

They followed Tommy into the break room and he locked the door behind them. Neither of them were sure what was going to happen, but they both knew it would be bad. Being locked in a room with a very pissed off six degree black belt was never a good sign.

"What happened?" Tommy yelled as the two of them tried to crawl up the walls. He was ready to kill them and they both knew it, especially if one of them didn't talk soon.

"The monster that killed Baker came back to try to kill Grace. He nearly killed her as well," Josh said as the look on Tommy's face went completely slack. He knew exactly how lucky the two of them had been, Josh would have been just as good as a target.

"Same way?" Tommy asked as Josh just looked at him. The look alone let him know that that was the truth, but he needed to hear it.

"Yes, exact same way," Josh said as Tommy let out a sigh and he then walked over to stand closer to them. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop it."

"How'd she survive?" Tommy whispered as Josh just shook his head. He had seen it all before, he just didn't want to see it again.

"Billy's magic," Josh stated as Tommy just shook his head. That had been pure luck, he had not known that Billy would have a solution.

"Thank God. So, I'm guessing by the great mood Melody's in that she now knows about the two of you. I'm loving the news more and more today," Tommy said as Aiden just smiled.

"You could say that," Josh said as Tommy groaned. How was he going to convince her not to say anything?

"I'll take care of it. Josh, go home and get into some clean clothes. Aiden get the rangers working, get Mom to come get Liz and Jared, do not leave that house until they are safe, you understand?" Tommy asked as Aiden barely nodded and then ran off. "You okay?"

"I've been better," Josh said as he looked over at him and Tommy sighed.

"She's going to be fine, you have to believe it. It's the only thing that has gotten me through a couple of times," Tommy said as Josh looked over at him and he then nodded. "It's fine."

* * *

"Mom, it's okay, really," Kim said as she tried to calm her mother into not telling everything about their relationship. She could not let that happen because of what it would do to Grace.

"Okay? Your daughter is in there because of this," Melody yelled as Kim just looked down. Her mother did not understand this.

"This has nothing to do with Josh!" Kim yelled as she stood up. "And my husband has been in there as well. These things happen and I'm worried about Grace, but I have to trust the doctors, it's the only thing that I can trust right now."

"That boy has absolutely no right to be with her! What right does he have?" Melody yelled as Kim just rubbed her temples, she was about to lose it. She had no doubt about that.

"Mom he has every right, just like any other boy out there," Kim said as Melody just shook her head.

"He is not of her social stature," Melody said calmly as Kim rolled her eyes.

"That's what this is about? Social stature does not matter. I don't give a damn about that," Kim said as she heard the elevator ding and prayed it was Tommy.

"It should. The childhood that I had, that you had was a privilege, the classes, the etiquette, the meetings with foreign associates, that was all wonderful," Melody exclaimed as Kim just shook his head.

"That's not my life or Grace's," Kim said as she saw Tommy walk up and he stood at the corner of the room.

"Your father never knew what he was taking away from you," Melody objected as Kim rolled her eyes and looked up at Tommy for help but he just shook his head.

"I was a snob Mom. The friends I had were only there because they saw something else, something that I could become. I had begun to change by the time I met Tommy. If I hadn't changed he never would have had me. That way of life is gone for me now," Kim said as Tommy smiled over at her and then started walking towards them.

"No it isn't. You still carry it and I've never know you to let me down on tradition," Melody said as Tommy sat down in the chair behind Kimberly and placed his arm around her.

"Don't even try it," Tommy said as Kim looked back at him and smiled. "I'm really tired of this and considering that my daughter is in there, I wouldn't piss me off if I were you."

"Your daughter…" Melody started as Tommy gave her a smirk and she closed her mouth.

"Is in very good hands, but I'm more worried about Josh at the moment," Tommy said as Kim looked back at him in confusion.

"Everyone deserves to know what he has been doing to her," Melody said as Tommy chuckled.

"You really think he'd be alive if he was doing something with her?" Tommy asked as Kim looked between the two of them.

"Of course he is, he's just hiding it from you, oh master ranger," Melody said as Tommy about jumped out of his seat, but Kim held him down.

"Melody, I really don't care what your opinion is. The only thing that matters to me is that my family is safe and right now that's not the case. If you make things worse for them…" Tommy trailed off as her eyes squinted at him.

"What'll you do? Kick me out?" Melody asked as Tommy tilted his head. He certainly was tempted to do that.

"Don't tempt me," Tommy murmured darkly as Kim looked back at him.

"Tommy!" Kim yelled as he sighed.

"She's your mother, I'm not going to turn this into something that it isn't. You cause one problem for those kids, just one and you'll have a reason to wish that Kim did not marry me," Tommy said as both of the women stared at him and he just sighed.

"Is that a threat?" Melody asked as her eyes narrowed.

"Absolutely, you should know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn't joke about something like this," Tommy said as Kim placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked ready to kill.

"Kim are you going to allow…" Melody began as Kim just shook her head.

"I am, because he's right. Our kids can't take much more and it will destroy Grace if she loses him right now. No matter that it's wrong, she can't have that happen," Kim said as her hands closed over Tommy's.

"So you condone this?" Melody asked as Kim barely nodded this.

"I haven't killed him so the answer is yes," Kim said as Melody barely nodded. She knew that the two of them would kill him if they did not like him.

"He's not right for her," Melody stated as Tommy let out a sigh. He was ready to kill her if she pushed him.

"And I'm not right for Kim," Tommy whispered over Kim's shoulder as she did a double take.

"It's just your social status is less than her family legacy and it should have been treated as such. The both of you just threw that away. I married at my status because that was what was expected and I fell away from my own family because of it," Melody said as she wiped her eyes and he gave her a sympathetic look.

"So that's why you and Dad don't get along?" Kim asked as Melody barely nodded her head.

"Basically," Melody said as Tommy's arms tightened around Kim in the hope to keep her still.

"And because I don't give a damn about stature?" Kim suggested as Melody barely nodded her head.

"So you would rather her be unhappy and married to a prick?" Tommy asked as Kim cringed.

"In some ways yes, but in the last few years I've started to realize what you do for each other. I just hoped Grace would do better," Melody whispered as Tommy sighed greatly.

"She's done the best she can, more specifically it's what she wants," Kim said as Melody nodded. She saw that there was no use to argue with them.

"And you actually care about that?" Melody asked as Tommy cringed. Kim might kill her now.

"More than you ever will," Kim said as Tommy clutched Kim's hand.

"I'm going to go to the house, get out of your way," Melody whispered as Kim looked back at Tommy.

"No need, you can stay. Aiden is going to watch after Liz and Jared until Mom gets there, then she's going to take them back to Angel Grove, you might as well stay with Kim," Tommy said as they both looked up at him.

"Where are you going?" Kim asked as he stood up and she grabbed his hand.

"I've got to get in touch with our people. There's a lot of things that we are going to have to get going," Tommy said as Kim gently held his hand.

"Are you going to leave the hospital?" Kim asked as he shrugged, that all depended on what the kids could find.

"I'll try not to," Tommy said as she barely nodded. "I'll be careful Kim."

"Promise?" Kim asked as he nodded his head yes and then bent down to kiss her cheek.

"It's too close to the end for me to screw up now," Tommy whispered in her ear as he stood up and then walked out of the waiting room.

"Wow, I've never seen him like that," Melody said as she watched Tommy go.

"He's mad, ready to kill someone, so leaving is best. It's his daughter, but I think that he's going to let the kids handle it," Kim said as Melody gave her an odd look. "Josh will have much more fun with killing them."

"Why?" Melody asked as Kim smiled.

"Because when you've fallen as hard as he has, you want to make them pay for what they do to your loved one," Kim said as Melody nodded and Kim smiled. She was glad that she finally understood it all.


	29. Chapter 29

Josh walked into his parents home and let out a sigh. He had a change of clothes here for emergencies and this definitely was one. His house was on the outskirts of town and he didn't want to waste any time, he needed to get back to her as soon as possible.

"Josh what happened to you? Are you alright?" Jane asked as she looked at his clothes and saw the pain that had settled over him.

"I'm fine, I'd be more worried about Grace if I was you," Josh whispered as she looked over at him.

"What happened to Grace?" Jane asked as he started shedding his clothes on his way to the bathroom.

"She's in surgery. She was forced to stab herself by the same monster that killed Baker," Josh whispered as Jane looked down at the ground. She could not believe it, but the grief that was on Josh's face spoke of the truth, it really had happened.

"Why are you here then?" Jane asked as Josh looked down at his clothes.

"Tommy sent me home to take a shower and get into some clean clothes. It's probably to keep anyone from figuring out why I'd be there, covered in her blood," Josh said as Jane nodded.

"You know, your father and I…I understand why this is important to you," Jane said as Josh looked over at her in confusion.

"We'll talk about it later, I've got to take a shower and get back," Josh said as Jane nodded and then watched him sprint to his old bathroom.

"Okay, we will," Jane called after him as she looked around the kitchen. Josh was not going to be around here any until Grace was out of the hospital and even then he was going to spend more time with her than them. He loved her, even he knew that much.

Josh soaked himself in the shower and let out a sigh. The water was still red around him and he was waiting for it to turn pink before it turned clear. He had no clue that that much blood had gotten on him in the time that he was holding her, but obviously it had. He tried to clear his mind and just closed his eyes. That was not a good thing as memories started flashing through his mind and his eyes quickly opened.

"Just let her live," Josh whispered to himself as the water soaked over him and he began scrubbing away at the blood, eager to get back to the hospital in a hurry.

"Praying would be good, but I've never heard you do that before in a situation like this," Jeremy said as he walked into the bathroom. "What are you doing here? This isn't the normal place you would come to shower. The water not working at your house?"

"More like this house was closer than mine to the hospital," Josh said as Jeremy shook his head.

"What's going on at the hospital?" Jeremy asked as Josh sighed. Most of his family didn't know about his relationship with Grace and he couldn't risk telling them.

"My past life is coming back to haunt me," Josh whispered as his brother pulled open the curtain and looked at him. "My girlfriend, she was…stabbed is an understatement…I can't…I don't know how to explain it."

"You're finally going to admit that you were a ranger to me now are you?" Jeremy asked as Josh gave him a confused look.

"I'm not sure that I can admit that," Josh said as Jeremy laughed.

"Is your girlfriend one of the current ones? That would make her a little bit too young for you," Jeremy said as Josh sighed and then looked down at the water pooling at his feet, which was miraculously clear. "A lot too young for you judging by that look."

"Four years exactly," Josh said as he turned off the water.

"I guess you need a towel," Jeremy muttered as he passed it to Josh and he toweled off in the shower. "Is she pretty?"

"Yeah, but I'd call it beautiful instead of pretty," Josh said as he stepped out of the shower and looked over at his older brother. "I'd tell you her name, but I can't. Not for another few months."

"She's a student? Josh, you'd never do something like that, unless…" Jeremy said as he looked away. "You love her?"

"Yeah, for awhile, I can't tell you until she graduates, sorry," Josh whispered as he stared at him.

"Grace Oliver," Jeremy said as Josh stepped away from him in shock. "You're not very good at keeping your secrets, but not many people would notice it. I'm your brother, I would. At least the other two haven't figured it out, they might actually tell someone."

"Jeremy, don't tell them, please," Josh said as he shrugged.

"I don't think I'm going to, she is pretty and she does love you, I can tell that much, plus she's really hurt," Jeremy said as Josh stared at him. He could not believe that his brother knew all of that and was willing to stay quiet even.

"I need to be heading back," Josh said as Jeremy grabbed his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, she's going to be fine and I'll keep quiet until you're ready to admit your secret to everyone," Jeremy said as Josh nodded. "She's going to be fine, Josh."

"I hope that you're right," Josh said as he began changing and his brother just shook his head.

"I'm sure that everything will be fine," Jeremy said as Josh closed his eyes. "Hey, she's got a chance, a good chance."

"Only because of the fact she's a ranger and this has happened before, to Baker," Josh said as Jeremy looked over at him. "I lost my best friend to this bastard, I can't lose her."

"She'll be fine," Jeremy whispered as he watched his younger brother storm out of the bathroom and he sighed. Josh should have never fallen in love with a student, but he had and there wasn't much that could be done about that.

"Josh, you okay?" Jane asked as he walked back into the living room and looked at his shoes. They were worse off than the majority of his clothes.

"I need shoes," Josh said as Jeremy walked into the room.

"You always were a person that would rather be barefoot," Jane said as Josh looked over at him.

"I don't really have that choice at a hospital and I never thought to get an extra pair of shoes over here," Josh said as Jeremy sat down and then threw the shoes over at him. "Not my size."

"That doesn't really matter right now, you want to get back to the hospital," Jane said as Josh nodded.

"What were you going to tell me?" Josh asked as Jane let out a sigh.

"My last year of high school, your dad was my teacher, we'd been dating for three years at that point, it was before all those fun laws we have now. Neither of us knew what to do, so we stayed together, broke every rule that we could during that time. I can't say anything to you about that," Jane said as two of her sons stared at her in shock.

"Wow," Jeremy murmured as Josh just stared at her.

"Now you know," Jane whispered as Josh nodded and he then walked out of the house.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jeremy asked as Jane nodded her head.

"She's not dead, he is going to survive this, no matter what," Jane said as Jeremy barely nodded. Josh was one of his younger brothers, but he was the one that had had to grow up the fastest and now he knew why. This was all going to work out, they all knew that he couldn't deal with another death, not now, definitely not her.


	30. Chapter 30

The mansion was dark and dusty and to the outside world utterly abandoned. To those that lived on the inside it was a different story. The basement was ground zero for Fillian's operation. The monster walked in and stood in the back. He was in no hurry to tell his news.

"Imobilizer come forward," Fillian said as the monster glared over at him. He knew that this was not going to be a good thing, especially with the way that things had turned out. "Have you defeated the leader of the rangers?"

"I'm afraid there was a problem with that. She was protected by some man, I didn't recognize him," Imobilizer said as Fillian's mouth dropped open. Her protector had been killed four years before.

"By whom? He's dead, by your hand, he's been dead for years," Fillian said as the Imobilizer leveled his gaze at him.

"Actually, he was not. I had to pick between two leaders that day, I got the wrong one, obviously," Imobilizer said as Fillian took a step back. How in the world had he missed? He had never missed in the past, he had been his hit man for years.

"The wrong leader? How is it possible they are always red," Fillian said as he watched his servant shake his head. There was something that he knew that no one else did.

"The one today wasn't, she was a white ranger," Imobolizer said as Fillian shook his head.

"Much like her father. How are you sure that this attempt wasn't just a little bit too weak for her will?" Fillian asked as Imobilizer just shook his head. Grace would have succumbed, if the other one hadn't been there to kill him immediately.

"No, it's not that, the man who morphed into the old red told her to stop, he knew who I was," Imobilizer said as Fillian just stared at him.

"How could you have possibly mistaken the leaders if they…" Fillian trailed off as his mouth fell open. They all knew what this might mean and it was not good for them or any of their kind.

"Yes, I know, but we still have a chance. His powers are nowhere near as strong as they were four years ago, hers overwhelm me. He will be much easier prey," Imobilizer said confidently as Fillian just shook his head.

"He has more will, a will to protect. I am afraid you will not break that," Fillian said as he watched his peon shake his head. He knew that he could do this if he would just give him time.

"Protection I can break, you know that," Imobilizer said as Fillian nodded. "Then what are you worried about?"

"The will of love, I'm afraid even you can't deal with this," Fillian said as Imobilizer sighed. That was true, he had tried it once and it had nearly killed him. He was not stupid enough to try it again.

* * *

"You look much better," Tommy said as Josh walked into the waiting room and sat down next to him.

"Have you heard any news?" Josh asked as Tommy barely nodded. He knew that she was not out of the woods yet, but he didn't want to hear that she had died in the meantime.

"She's out of surgery, in critical condition, but they'll let us see her in a moment," Tommy said as Kim looked over at the two of them. He was not feeling good, at all.

"I shouldn't be here," Josh whispered as Tommy just shook his head over at him. Grace needed him and he would be damned if the two of them didn't get the time together that they needed.

"No you should be here," Kim said as she grabbed his hands and he looked up at her. "She'd want you here, want to see you over all of us."

"How can you be so sure?" Josh murmured as he pulled his hands away and wiped his eyes.

"Because I've lived it before, we'll make sure that the two of you get what you need," Kim said as he gave her a hug and she barely smiled as the boy wept.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to her if someone finds out…" Josh murmured as Kim looked up at Tommy and he smiled. He was glad that Josh could be concerned about other things than the mess that they were in. He was going to have to get used to that over the next few years.

"It's not your fault," Kim said as Josh sat back up and looked between the both of them.

"It feels like it should have been me," Josh said with a weak smile as Tommy just shook his head.

"I know what you mean, I've said that more times than I like," Tommy muttered as Josh looked over at him in mild surprise.

"But you're the best, this is what you were made to do," Josh said as Tommy laughed. He was far from the best ranger in his opinion, but that didn't seem to matter, everyone else thought it.

"That's just what people say about me. I'm actually just a normal guy most of the time. I worry about my family and friends, but…" Tommy trailed off as Josh barely nodded that he understood.

"I know, we have this fun life called 'hell' that we deal with for a living," Josh said as Tommy reached over and patted his shoulder.

"It gets better, I promise, if you love her it will," Tommy said as Josh barely nodded, he had really hoped that it wouldn't take a long time.

"I…I won't say that to you," Josh said as Tommy nodded. He completely understood how the boy couldn't tell him that, he wouldn't have been able to that early in his relationship either. He had known that he loved Kim early on, but he hadn't been willing to admit it, to anyone.

"I don't expect you to, but you're not going to leave," Tommy said as Kim just stared at the two of them.

"Why not?" Josh asked as Tommy smiled. The boy was still trying to keep himself away from this, but he wasn't going to be able, he'd stay because it was right.

"Because you do love her, you don't have to tell me for me to know the truth," Tommy said as Josh barely nodded, that was all that he could do.

"So you're a psychic now too?" Josh asked as Tommy barely nodded.

"No, I just recognize the pain that you're in because you can't do anything to help her, because you love her it's that way, lie to yourself all you want, but you can't lie to me. I've had to do this myself," Tommy said as he gave him a confused look. He was not sure that he wanted to hear about any of this, but he was going to listen, what choice did he have really?

"Do what?" Josh asked as Tommy looked over at him. What was he talking about?

"Sit in a separate room and wonder if she's going to make," Tommy said, simply as Kim smiled.

"When?" Josh asked as they exchanged a glance.

"When Kim had leukemia," Tommy said as Josh closed his eyes. He hadn't even known about that until now.

"Kim had…" Josh started as Tommy barely nodded.

"Yeah, it's not something that we talk about much, but now you know I know. It's okay to feel bad, but you've got to be there," Tommy said as Kim nodded and Josh just looked down at his shoes.

"Why?" Josh asked as he looked up at Kim.

"Because Mom and Dad are no long the people she looks to, to protect her," Tommy whispered as Josh barely nodded. Now he knew the truth and although it scared him, he'd deal with it.

"I know," Josh whispered as Kim smiled.

"Do a good job, Josh. You have to," Tommy said as he stood up and they looked over at him.

"I will, I don't think I could let her go now," Josh said as Tommy barely nodded.

"Glad to hear it," Tommy said as Josh stood up and then started pacing the room as well.

* * *

Aiden continued to scan through the information in the Command Center. He just knew that they had missed something. There had to be a reason that these two attacks were related. His dad was not sure, but he was. A monster like this wasn't brought back for no reason.

"Aiden, there is nothing here, absolutely nothing," Paige said as Aiden looked over at her.

"Don't…keep looking, there is a reason," Aiden said as he pulled up the prophecy and stared at it. "Okay, the life bearer is Mom, the mentor is dad, I'm the savior of present and Grace…what's Grace?"

Paige walked over and looked down at the paper. They had all been told of the prophecy, but not seen it in the original text. She read through it and looked over at Aiden.

"There's more," Aiden muttered as Paige nodded her head in agreement. He felt his body being moved and landed in a dark room with an eerie glow at the end. He started towards it and noticed the uniforms looked familiar, eerily familiar. He touched each and saw the script shine brightly. It was probably against protocol, but he grabbed the suits and got the hell out of there.


	31. Chapter 31

_Prophecies_

The mentor is dead the new mentors will come. The one who can protect and the one that can bear life will usher in the new generation. A baby and a life, a mentor must live to see. The child will live on, as the savior of rangers present, helping the mentor to live. The creator of the rangers will usher in the future. A future of mentors no more.

The creator of the future, protection needed. The protector of the creator, wrongly taken, ends the ranger's chance. The protector like a phoenix, the creator like a dove, bring together peace and harmony of the world.

The end of evil can only come through the children of the one who can protect and the life bearer. A protector, born of water, that bursts into flame. A creator, the child of the mentor, uncorrupted by evil, can call forth the ranger legacies yet to come and stop the future in its tracks.

"Wow, I think Dr. O needs to see this," Paige said as Aiden looked over at her in shock. It was making sense, but it was scary to think of that at all. How could their lives be so predestined...how could they not really have a choice?

"We'll see, Grace got out of surgery and they just went back to see her. They're going to leave Josh with her, I'll tell Dad when he gives me an update," Aiden said as Paige barely nodded.

"And what will he do?" Paige asked as Aiden smiled. There was one thing that he could be absolutely sure of in that area.

"Probably come back home, read it himself, curse and go back to tell Josh not to leave her side, even to go to the bathroom," Aiden said as he placed his arm around Paige. "It's going to be fine."

"I hope you're right," Paige whispered as she clung to him and he smiled.

* * *

They walked into the room and Tommy took in a deep breath. She was hooked up to every machine he had ever seen and then some. Kim was unsteady on her feet and he gently grasped her hand and she let the tears slip down her face. This was not how things were supposed to happen.

"She's doing pretty good for this kind of wound, but we need to keep her sedated at least for tonight. We don't want her pulling out any of the iv lines that we have in," Dr. Pemberton said as Tommy barely nodded. "Which one of you will be staying here tonight?"

"Neither of us. He will," Tommy said as he nodded towards Josh and the doctor just stared at them in shock.

"Aren't you a teacher down at the high school?" Dr. Pemberton asked as Josh closed his eyes. He had known that this was a bad idea from the beginning, but he had thought that they might be able to get away with it.

"Yes and I'd like to keep it that way. No one in here tonight, but you, understood?" Tommy said as Dr. Pemberton gave him an odd look.

"Dr. Oliver…" Dr. Pemberton began as Tommy just stared over at him and shook his head.

"I saved your son once Jeremy, don't forget that," Tommy said as the man just stared at him.

"Fine, but remember…" Dr. Pemberton began as Tommy crossed his arms and Kim grabbed Josh's arm to pull him away.

"I also didn't turn you in for the repaired ligament that failed in my knee," Tommy pointed out as Kim grimaced. She knew that her husband would do almost anything to get help and make it all work out.

"Tommy…" Dr. Pemberton began as he watched him laugh.

"Or the lovely tendinitis I now have because of a half ass diagnosis. You do this and you'll never have to treat my family again," Tommy bartered as Kim stood there in shock.

"That a good or bad thing?" Dr. Pemberton asked as Kim just shook her head. The man was walking right in to what Tommy wanted him to do.

"A good thing, you won't have to live with this anymore, you won't feel obligated to save us anymore," Tommy said as Dr. Pemberton just stared at him.

"Tommy!" Kim reprimanded as he looked over at her with a smile.

"I know what I'm doing," Tommy whispered as Kim just shook her head. This was the only thing that had kept them out of the nut house for years and if they lost it, it might not be pretty.

"You'll continue free of charge, I owe you that for everything you've done," Dr. Pemberton said as Tommy barely nodded, he had known that the good doctor wouldn't be able to turn them away.

"Good, do what I'm telling you, there's a reason," Tommy said as Dr. Pemberton gave him an odd look.

"Why?" Dr. Pemberton asked as Tommy gave him a sideways glance.

"Because I can't protect her," Tommy whispered as he led the doctor out of the room and Kim followed the two of them.

* * *

"Aiden, you found anything?" Tommy asked as he walked towards the waiting room. The only way that he was leaving this hospital was if there was some really big news back home.

"Yeah, in your suits, you need to come see this," Aiden said as Tommy slammed the phone shut.

"Bad news?" Kim asked as Tommy barely nodded and then grabbed her hand to pull her along.

"Sounds like it, go on out to the car. I'm going to go run tell Josh what's going on," Tommy said as Kim grabbed his keys and then calmly headed out of the hospital. It was never good when Tommy acted like this after a phone call.

"God help us," Kim whispered as Tommy disappeared and she cringed. This was not going to be a good night, she knew that there was going to be a lot of yelling and a small amount of work actually getting done.

"What did you find?" Tommy asked as he walked up to Aiden and he just shook his head.

"Two new prophecies, they have to do with Grace and Josh," Aiden stated as Tommy looked up at the ceiling. His day had just gotten better.

"At first I wasn't sure that the logic was sound, but it must be. The prophecies refer to different people," Brian said as he looked at the papers and then passed them over to Tommy.

"How do you know?" Kim asked as she looked over Tommy's shoulder and tried to read Aiden's scribbled script.

"You are the life bearer, Dr. O the mentor, Aiden the savior, Grace the creator, and Mr. Fitzpatrick is the protector," Leo explained as Tommy barely nodded. He could get that out of the prophecies, but he was not sure how to deal with it.

"You're the savior?" Kim asked looking over at Aiden and he rolled his eyes.

"In the Power Ranger world yes, but that's not the most important part," Aiden said as he sighed. Now he understood why their parents didn't like these types of things.

"Quickly," Tommy stated as Aiden pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him.

"We know why it's going after Grace and why it killed Baker," Aiden said as Tommy groaned. He had hoped that that wouldn't be the news.

"Aiden…" Tommy threatened as he closed his eyes.

"Grace and Josh will be capable of ending evil while they are together," Aiden stated as Tommy and Kim's mouths fell open. They had never hoped that something like that could happen.

"End evil?" Kim asked, as she was the first to recover.

"Yes, after marriage I guess," Aiden said as Tommy let out a groan.

"And to keep her safer…" Tommy started as Aiden barely nodded.

"You want to talk to Andros?" Aiden asked as Tommy barely nodded his head and then pushed him out of the way so that he was able to sit in front of the screen.

"This is crazy," Tommy whispered as he closed his eyes. He was not ready to let go of his daughter, not at all, but he had no choice about it.


	32. Chapter 32

Josh sat next to her bed and held her hand. He now knew what Tommy had felt years before. The beeps of the machines kept him company and he closed his eyes for a moment trying to relax. He was never able to, each time his eyes closed, he saw her in the ambulance, bleeding out, at her home, begging for a chance to see him again. She thought she was going to die and he had not given her that wish. He'd never do that again, not as long as he lived.

Her hand tightened over his and her eyes blinked open with her other hand she pointed to her throat and he stood up to push her hair out of her face.

"You have a breathing tube in to help you. Do you need me to get the doctor?" Josh asked as she gave him a confused, but happy look.

She barely shook her head no and gripped his hand harder. He placed his chin on the rail between them and she barely managed a smile. She could not believe that he was here instead of one of her parents. How had they managed to get that to happen

"Are you in pain?" Josh asked as she shook her head no again and he nodded. "Good, I've got some news for you. Aiden found two more prophecies. They have to do with us. You can end the evil."

Her eyes widened and she motioned for a pen and paper. He looked around the room and had to settle for a napkin and a pen from his pocket. This room was obviously not meant for anyone that might have something to do besides sleep.

"How is that possible?" she wrote as he smiled. He understood just how excited that made her. They wouldn't have to deal with the life that she had lived until now.

"Pool all the powers past, present, and future to send the monsters away for the rest of our lives," Josh said as Grace just shook her head.

"And after we're gone?" Grace wrote and he just shook his head.

"I don't know Grace, it doesn't say," Josh whispered as he stood up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll think about it, I'm sleepy," Grace managed to write as she laid back down and her eyes shut.

"You'll be fine, I'm not going to leave you," Josh whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair and she relaxed into his touch.

He watched her drift back off to sleep and his hand rested gently over hers. He slumped down against the rail and eventually drifted off to sleep, still clutching her hand in his, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to let her go.

* * *

"Mr. Fitzpatrick, I'd suggest waking up," Tommy whispered as he leaned down and Josh jerked awake. "Good morning."

"Did you have to wake me up like that?" Josh asked as he slowly stretched and then looked over at Grace. "I told her about it last night."

"So, she woke up," Tommy stated as Josh looked around to see what he smelled and noticed the bag of food in Tommy's other hand.

"For a few minutes, she said she wasn't in pain, not sure if I believe it," Josh said as he reached over for the bag and Tommy then passed him a biscuit.

"It's funny what you don't feel when someone you care about is with you," Tommy said as Josh barely nodded. He was going to take his word that this came from experience as well.

"So…why are you here so early? Is there something going on that I don't know about?" Josh asked as Tommy barely nodded.

"There's something that we need to talk about before she wakes up," Tommy said as Josh stood up and tried to keep from moaning as his back caught. He didn't really want to leave her alone, but he was going to have to.

"I'll stay with her, go on and get this over with," Aiden said as Tommy barely nodded.

"But…" Josh began as Aiden rolled his eyes.

"It'll only take five minutes if you go now," Aiden said as Josh barely nodded and then looked over at Tommy.

"Fine," Josh said as they walked out of the room and he followed Tommy down the hallway to the break room. Tommy locked the door behind him and then looked over at Josh.

"You're not going to like this, but I have to know what you would do to keep her safe," Tommy said as Josh just looked over at him and shook his head. Those words struck fear even in the most hardy of rangers.

"Anything," Josh whispered as Tommy just looked over at him.

"Josh, don't say it because you think it's right. I need you to mean it," Tommy said as Josh closed his eyes.

"I do, what do you need me to do to keep her safe?" Josh asked as he placed his hands on the table and watched the older ranger pace back and forth.

"Tell me how much you love her," Tommy said as he finally stopped pacing and locked eyes with the boy.

"Tommy, I…you really want to know?" Josh asked as Tommy forced himself to nod his head yes. "Okay, I'll explain it this way, Baker was my best friend and he had the feelings of dread that Grace has been having for the last few weeks. I was more scared to have her taken away than anyone else in my life. I don't know what I would have done if she had died. I can't lose her."

"What do you think I'm going to ask you to do?" Tommy asked as Josh wiped his eyes and looked away.

"Walk away, I'm too dangerous," Josh whispered as he started arranging his clothes to distract himself. Tommy shook his head, he couldn't believe that he would think that. "You can't possibly want me to stay."

"You're the reason that she's alive, you need to stay," Tommy said as Josh looked over at him in shock.

"So what else do you need me to do?" Josh asked as Tommy cringed. He didn't want to deal with it.

"Think long and hard before you say yes to this. Andros is from another planet where the rules are different. We think the protection would be greater if the two of you were married," Tommy said as Josh just stood there in shock, waiting for Tommy to say something to prove that this was a joke.

"Tommy, I don't know, with everything that could happen here…it's not exactly like either of us could live without…I don't know if we'd keep ourselves in check after that," Josh admitted as Tommy just stared at him in shock.

"I'm not asking that, at least not around us, at school, you'd have to," Tommy said as Josh closed his eyes. He still didn't like the way this sounded.

"I'm ready, but I wouldn't do this without doing it right," Josh said as Tommy nodded. He understood exactly how important it was to propose in the correct way.

"Andros says we'll have a two day jump period in three weeks. Can you get it together by then?" Tommy asked as Josh barely nodded his head. "Good. You don't have to do this Josh."

"I do," Josh said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a box, then passed it over to Tommy. "My grandmother's, Mom gave it to me yesterday after she explained everything."

"What did she explain?" Tommy asked as Josh smiled.

"Dad was her science teacher her senior year, they had been dating for three years by then. They kept their relationship secret for that year, probably broke more rules than me and Grace. They got married a year after she graduated," Josh said as Tommy just shook his head.

"So they understand?" Tommy asked as Josh nodded his head.

"We'll have to do right by our families eventually, but for now I can deal with a marriage to keep her safe," Josh said as Tommy smiled.

"The rituals from the other planet…" Tommy started as he grew uncomfortable. He did not want to think about what this boy and his daughter were going to do. He had known that it would happen one day, he just had hoped the one day would not be so soon.

"Will probably make us very uncomfortable to discuss," Josh said as he fidgeted as well.

"There's one thing that Andros told me I had to ask…" Tommy said as his own face blushed.

"This doesn't sound good," Josh said as he closed his eyes.

"The two of you have never…together…um…" Tommy stuttered as he gave him a long look.

"We were going to, but…well, she was stabbed," Josh explained as Tommy just closed his eyes. This had to be the most uncomfortable conversation that he had ever had.

"Okay then, Andros' home planet will work," Tommy said as Josh barely nodded.

"Never speak of this again?" Josh said as Tommy looked over at her.

"Deal," Tommy said as he stuck out his hand and they shook on it. Hopefully this would all disappear, for the moment at least.


	33. Chapter 33

A week later Grace was in Power Ranger therapy and not liking it a bit, it was hell that was the only way that she could describe it. She knew of her mother's degree, but had never been treated by her. Josh had been good, helping or cursing with her when she needed him to. The scar would most likely be permanent, but she didn't mind, it would remind her how close she had come to death. She'd never just go on about life and be careless again, everything mattered now.

They were returning all of the equipment to the locker as Kim disappeared upstairs. Josh could see how much determination it was taking Grace to not just give up. He worried that this might be too much, but he had seen the progression of the battles. He'd have to propose soon, but he wasn't sure how he'd do it.

"Long week?" Josh asked as he saw her wince and he gently rested his hand on her back.

"Mom has been torturing me," Grace muttered as he watched her straighten up and he winced.

"Sorry about that," Josh said as he placed his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I just want to get a good night's sleep, it's been so long since I've been able to," Grace whispered as she turned in his arms and just placed her head on his shoulder.

"Come on, I don't think your parents will mind me staying," Josh whispered as his hand gently traced circles on her lower back.

"That sounds great but…" Grace trailed off as he pulled away from her and then gave her a gentle kiss.

"Just tonight, I'll even run it past Tommy first," Josh whispered as he placed a kiss on her shoulder and she melted into his skin.

"You'll do that?" Grace asked as he helped her walk towards the stairs and he took notice of the fact that she was leaning heavily on him.

"For you, of course, go on upstairs and I'll talk with your dad in a moment," Josh said as he gave her a long hug.

"You sure you want me to go alone?" Grace asked as he nodded. He had barely left her alone for more than a few hours and that was only when he was at work. Other than that, he hadn't let her out of his sight.

"Yeah, I'm sure, plus I need to talk to him about something else," Josh said as she gave him an odd look.

"But, you haven't left me since…" Grace started as he just pressed his lips to hers and she gave him a half laugh.

"I know, it'll only be a few minutes and you're in one of the safest places that I know," Josh said as he gave her a hug.

"Okay," Grace said as she hobbled to the stairs and she took a moment to pull herself upstairs. She didn't look good, but he didn't want to say anything right now.

"So you're going to do this tonight?" Tommy asked as he walked out of the shadows and looked over at him.

"Yeah, I don't think I should wait any longer," Josh said as Tommy nodded. He understood and he respected the boy for actually asking him first, even if he had already said he was going to marry her.

"Okay, have you thought of what you'll say?" Tommy asked as Josh just shook his head.

"I think I'm going to wing it. I'd forget everything if I planned it out," Josh said as Tommy laughed. He could understand the logic, he had done the same thing.

"That's fine, stay the night so she'll actually get some sleep," Tommy said as Josh barely nodded.

"She's still not responding like she should, is she?" Josh asked as Tommy nodded that that was the case. "Great."

"Normal therapy isn't working, but some other things can be done, now go on," Tommy said as he motioned upstairs and just shook his head as Josh ran for the stairs.

"Okay," Josh said as he jogged up the stairs and then headed to Grace's room before he laid down on her bed. He knew that she might not like this, but he had to try there was too much at stake if he didn't.

"Hey what did Dad say?" Grace asked as she walked into her room and found him on her bed.

"I can stay the night," Josh said as Grace smiled and then walked over to her dresser to try to find some clothes.

"Great, do you want to do something or stay in?" Grace asked as she pulled out different articles of clothing and then tossed each back in the drawer.

"Stay in, come here," Josh said, motioning for her to walk over to him.

"Don't you want me to put on something more than a towel?" Grace asked as he barely shook his head no. This was the way he liked her best, no makeup, no pretenses, just her.

"Come here," Josh said as she walked over to him and he placed both of his arms around her.

"What's going on?" Grace asked she looked down at him and he reluctantly loosened his grip.

"Grace, I know the last few weeks have been rough, but there's something that we need to talk about. I know we've talked about it in the past and decided that it wasn't worth what would happen to us. But there's a way now to do that. Will you marry me?" Josh asked as her eyes widened and he forced a smile. He was scared to death that she'd say no and that he might lose her.

"What? Are you serious?" Grace asked as she pushed herself away from him to get a better look at him.

"I am," Josh whispered as she just stared at him. She had never imagined that he would propose like this, but it fit them, it really did.

"How can we do this?" Grace asked as he just looked at her.

"Andros," Josh stated as he felt his nerves building. She was going to tell him no.

"Yes, yes, I will," Grace whispered as she gave him hug and then he gave her a quick kiss. "But how? When?"

"We're going to a foreign planet, in two weeks," Josh said, gently, as Grace gave him an odd look. How could they do that?

"Two weeks! How? I won't have time to do anything…" Grace began to ramble as he gently touched her hand.

"Grace this won't be the wedding we'll have pictures of, it will be the one that lets us be together," Josh said as he held her tight and she molded herself against him.

"Okay, are there any catches?" Grace asked as his hands gently roamed up and down her back.

"If you count us as finally getting to have sex as a catch, then yes," Josh stated as she rolled her eyes. That was just great.

"We'll finally…" Grace muttered as he gave her quick kiss and she smiled.

"Don't get too excited, we're still going to have to live apart until after you graduate," Josh said as she settled down on his lap and he placed both his arms around her.

"What about our real wedding?" Grace asked as she leaned into him and her eyes slipped closed for a moment.

"You'll choose the day, as long as you'll still have me," Josh whispered and she looked back at him in confusion. Why in the world would she not have him?

"Why do you think that I wouldn't want to?" Grace asked as she stood up and walked over to her dresser before she pulled out a nightgown and then slipped it over her head.

"Being a ranger can alter your judgment," Josh said as she turned around to face him and smiled.

"I've never been this happy in my life, I don't think that I'm going to change my mind. I love you," Grace said as she walked back over to him and then sat down next to him on the bed.

"I love you too," Josh whispered back as he pulled her into his arms and she closed her eyes. She loved this man, no matter what anyone else said.


	34. Chapter 34

Andros teleported into the Command Center and saw the other rangers standing there. Grace was still in a lot of pain and Josh just looked nervous. Kim and Tommy were sitting this wedding out since the rangers would be without their leader for a few days. They both looked terrified and excited at the same time. It was a day that they had been looking forward to for a long time.

"Okay, this has to be quick if we're going to get this done," Andros said as he looked around at the rest of them and then back at the two rangers.

"I know, just one thing," Tommy said as he walked over to him and Andros looked up at the more experienced ranger.

"What's that?" Andros asked as Tommy pulled him aside.

"Make sure that they're right for each other," Tommy muttered as Andros just shook his head. Of course Tommy wouldn't want the two of them to make a mistake and get married just for the protection.

"No worries, that's covered without even asking," Andros said as Tommy smiled.

"Good," Tommy muttered as he looked over at his daughter. This was hard, but there was really no choice about this.

"Come on guys, we better be on our way…" Andros said as he looked over at the two of them.

"What was Dad talking to you about?" Grace asked as she walked over to him and gave him a nervous look. There was no telling what her father was asking of them.

"You'll find out soon enough," Andros whispered as he looked over at them and they then teleported away.

* * *

They woke up hours later in a dark room and looked over at each other. They felt around for a light switch or something to tell them where they were, but only found each other. Grace reached for his hands and he gently pulled them away.

"This is not why we're here," Josh said as he looked over in her general vicinity and she huffed.

"Then why are we trapped in a room, unable to get out?" Grace shot back as he let out a long sigh. She was worse than he was.

"Because one of us is horny," Josh stated as her eyes narrowed.

"Josh!" Grace shrieked as she stomped her foot and tried to pin point him, but he had moved away. He had to try to straighten his own emotions out without dealing with her.

"Oh come on, you've been excited about it for two weeks, if you can keep your hormones in control, maybe we'll get out of this," Josh said as he heard her let out a sigh. She was going to hate him after this.

"Okay, but stay away from me for a moment," Grace said and to her utter surprise the room lightened and she finally looked down and then shrieked. "This isn't my body."

"Yeah, I found yours. So why do we still have our own brains?" Josh asked as he just stared at her body and then looked back over at her.

"I have no clue, can you give me my body back please," Grace said as she covered his face and closed her eyes. The way that he was looking at her body made her queasy.

"I wish I could, but we have to try to figure this out like this, there might be some reason for it," Josh said s he reached down to adjust himself and she just glared at him.

"Do not touch me like that again. Women do not…" Grace started as a small window opened in the far wall and they looked at it. She felt no embarrassment from being in Josh's body nude, but she wished that he would at least try to hide some bits of her body.

"What are the two of you waiting for? This begins with a journey of understanding of each other's body, then you move onto communicating with each other. Finally you will retrieve a gem that will allow you to communicate in the same way that I am now," Andros said as the two of them looked at each other.

"Through telekinesis," Grace provided as Josh looked over at her in shock. How did she know that about Andros?

"Yes, now clothe yourselves and you will begin. Spar with each other, find the difference. Morph, feel how the power changes, kiss find out what makes the other tick. I will return in a few hours, be done by then," Andros said and he then closed the window and Grace let out a sigh.

"You really do add inches don't you," Grace said as she looked down at his body and he just stared at her.

"I cannot believe we're discussing this," Josh said as he wished that she would cover up his body.

"Might as well, since I'm the one that will be judging these things from now on," Grace said as he just shook his head. He didn't blame her for being mad about this, but they'd have to deal with it.

"If it makes you feel any better your boobs are smaller too," Josh said as he watched her glare at him and he felt like shrinking away. She now had more power if she decided to fight him.

"Clothes!" Grace yelled as they appeared on their body and they both let out a sigh.

"Now we spar," Josh said as he faced her in his body and he had no idea how she sparred against him. The two of them began fighting and Grace was surprised to feel the extra strength in his muscles. She now knew that he never fought her with all his strength. Josh just stared in awe as she moved in his body. He had no clue how to fight in Grace's, she was much more compact than he was, but he felt a solid grasp that his muscles knew what to do. When he did a back handspring he found out why. "Grace, can you …"

"What?" Grace asked as she kicked through her body and she watched Josh cringe.

"Your body isn't like mine. I can only fight in spurts and then tumble to do another spurt with someone that is bigger than me," Josh said as she pulled back and just looked at him.

"Morph me," Grace said as he pulled out the morpher and looked at it.

"Same time one…two…three," Josh said as they morphed and Grace doubled over in pain. Josh's powers had not been his originally and it was painful to even morph, Josh walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder as she tried to get her breath. He only felt raw power and it was wonderful.

"It's okay Grace, take a deep breath. I went through this the first time, you're fine. I know it hurts, just stay with me," Josh said as he watched his face contort with pain and he closed his eyes. He hated what this was doing to her.

"I've never felt anything like this, it hurts Josh. How do you deal with it?" Grace asked as she leaned on him and he managed to hold her up. He was finding out that Grace was much stronger than she looked.

"Because I lost my best friend and he had these powers. It's the pain he felt when he was dying, lingering in his powers. You're going to be okay," Josh said as she closed her eyes.

"God, please, let's unmorph," Grace managed as she gritted her teeth. It was not getting any better, no matter what he said.

"Okay, go ahead and unmorph," Josh said and they both powered down and Josh looked over at her. Behind his eyes he saw the comprehension of the pain and suffering he had dealt with. Without thinking they moved to kiss each other and felt the change begin. At the end they were back to their normal heights and Josh clutched her to him.

"How do you deal with it?" Grace asked as she looked up at him and he saw the tears in her eyes.

"Because it's the only memory I have left of him. It hurts, but it's nothing compared to what I would feel losing you," Josh said as he gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I don't think I could lose you, not now," Grace murmured as she rested her head on his shoulder and she held him in such a fashion that let him know she would not let him go anytime soon.

"Glad that you agree," Josh said as he just held on and allowed her to rest against him.

"Sorry about that comment about your…" Grace trailed off as she barely felt him nod.

"Yeah, me too," Josh whispered into her ear as she turned her head up and she gently kissed his neck.

"To tell you the truth you seem more revved up than me. I know I was, but…" Grace started as she heard him chuckle.

"Yeah, it didn't take me much to get everything under control," Josh said as she just shook her head. Of course he'd only admit that now, after everything had been fixed.

"Ass," Grace muttered as they both laughed and he just held her.

"I know, it's nice," Josh said as she pushed him away and then hit him on the chest. "I'm joking, come here."

"You think that we'll be able to do this?" Grace asked as he sat down on the floor and she then settled herself between his legs with her back pressed against his chest.

"Of course, you're an Oliver, when have they failed?" Josh asked as Grace rolled her eyes. He was far too confident in her family history.

"Actually…" Grace started as he reached around and placed a finger over his lips.

"Don't want to know the answer," Josh whispered as she turned to face him and her lips gently brushed his. Everything was going to be okay, he'd make sure that nothing happened to her.


	35. Chapter 35

"Are you back in your own bodies?" Andros yelled through the door. He was not going to risk looking again at them, he knew Tommy or even Josh was likely to kill him for that.

"Yes!" Grace yelled as they both heard the door open and looked back at him.

"Come on, follow me," Andros said as Josh stood up and he then pulled Grace to her feet. Now that she was back in her own body, the pain had set in again and in some ways it was worse, especially since Josh had felt no pain while he sparred her.

"Where?" Josh asked as his concern for his girlfriend was increasing. She didn't look good and it looked like it would only get worse.

"To find the gem, you'll only have to go a small ways," Andros said as he watched Grace's face tighten again and he let out a sigh. This was going to hurt her, really hurt her.

"Great," Josh murmured as he took Grace's hand and watched her closely.

"Including a potion to fully restore her health, you have thirty-six hours," Andros said as he took a step away from them.

"Andros, where do we…" Grace began as she turned to face him and realized that he had disappeared.

"Head this way, I think we better hurry," Josh said as she looked over at him. Why did they have to hurry?

"Why?" Grace asked as he looked over at her and knew that she was barely concussion of what was going on due to the pain.

"Because thirty-six hours isn't that much time, come on," Josh said as she looked over at him, hopefully the place wasn't too far away.

"I'm not sure…" Grace began as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then took a step back.

"I'll carry you on the hard parts, your back can hold up on the easy parts," Josh said as she just looked over at him.

"You're sure?" Grace asked as she looked over at him. She didn't want to take too much away from him.

"It's the only way Grace," Josh whispered as he took both of her hands in his and he leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, let's do this," Grace muttered as he took the bag that she had been holding and placed it on his back.

He held onto her hand as they moved up the mountainside and he felt the chill start to become worse. They reached a grove and he finally looked back at her face. She was extremely pale and he felt his heart jump. He was pushing her too hard and he felt horrible for it.

"Sit down for a few minutes. I'm going to check ahead," Josh said as he guided her towards a stump and she just gave him a look. Why was he letting her rest? He'd never done that before.

"I'm fine," Grace muttered as her eyes slipped out of focus and he placed his arm around her as he watched her face pale even further.

"You're really pale, rest for a couple of minutes while I see what's up ahead," Josh said as he gently guided her down onto the stump and she closed her eyes.

"Josh?" Grace said as he started to walk away from her.

"What?" Josh asked as he looked back at her and saw her looking up at him.

"Thank you," Grace said as he barely smiled and then headed up the path towards the nearest landmark he could see. He wanted to make sure that she was going to be able to make it.

He made his way several yards out of her sight and he noticed two trails. A piece of paper was tied to the sign and he walked back to where Grace was sitting. He sat down next to her and she leaned her head down on his shoulder. She was even more tired than he had imagined, but they were going to have to push on, if they had any hope of getting back they were going to have to push on.

"What does it say?" Grace asked as she looked down at the paper and he just shook his head. He didn't know how she could deal with all of the things that she dealt with.

"One path brings comfort, the other brings your goal, choose carefully. Which is more important?" Josh read as she took in a deep breath. She was going to have to gather all her strength, but she knew which one was more important.

"We go after the goal," Grace stated as he looked over at her and saw the determination in her eyes. He could try to talk her out of it, but it wouldn't be easy, if even possible.

"But your back," Josh said as she stared into his eyes, trying to keep herself in the state of mind that she needed to be in to do this.

"Is secondary, we need to do what we came here for, my back can be helped later," Grace said as she cringed again and he just shook his head. She was determined, there was nothing else he could do about it.

"But…" Josh began, knowing that Tommy might kill him if something else happened to her.

"No buts Josh. We'd have to wait for the next opening if we don't make it this time, we can't do that," Grace said as he looked over at her. She still didn't look up to doing much of anything at the moment.

"Okay, you need to rest some more," Josh said as his hand rested on her knee and she just shook her head as she sat up.

"No, I'm okay, we need to get going," Grace said as she stood up and he stood up next to her.

"Grace…" Josh began as he placed a hand on her back and she turned around to glare at him. She was ready to kill him for being this protective, but she understood it.

"I'll let you know if I feel any worse," Grace whispered as he reached over and took her hand instead.

"Before or after you pass out?" Josh asked as she managed a small smile and he cringed. She was trying to put up a good front for him, but it wasn't going to work, not that she knew that.

"As I'm passing out," Grace said as she looked over at him and he shook his head.

"Okay, I'm going to take your word on that," Josh said as he pulled her along and he tried to keep his pace from going too fast for her, he was in a hurry, but he needed things to go well with her.

"I promise Josh," Grace said as he barely nodded and she just shook her head. He didn't believe her, but he was going to let it go, thank goodness.

* * *

"We better camp for the night," Josh said as they had gotten the gem and were back at the crossroad. He could tell that Grace wasn't going to make it much further and that they might as well bunk down for the night.

"We'll freeze out here," Grace said as she wrapped her arms around herself to try to give herself some extra warmth.

"No we won't, lay down next to me, we'll be fine," Josh said as he looked around for a place that they might be able to sleep that wasn't going to hurt her anymore.

"Okay, I don't think I could go much further without you carrying me," Grace admitted as she watched him lay down on the ground and she then curled up next to him on the ground.

"I figured that much, we'll decide what to do when we wake up. We might be able to get the potion after all," Josh said as he watched her face begin to relax and he knew that she wouldn't make it much longer.

"My back will heal in time. Leave it, we have to get back to the others," Grace said as she yawned and he placed his arms in a more comfortable position.

"You're really stubborn about that," Josh said as she looked back at him and tried to keep her eyes in focus.

"I have the right to be, I can't let my team down for my own benefit," Grace whispered as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and she tried to force herself to stay awake.

"They're right," Josh whispered in her ear as she just looked at him.

"About what?" Grace muttered as she cringed, her pain threshold was full and she couldn't take much more.

"You are far more self less than I will ever be," Josh said as he watched her eyes drift closed and held her securely against him. He had no clue how she had made it the entire day, but he was grateful, he couldn't have done this if she hadn't been able to hold out.


	36. Chapter 36

They awoke the next morning to a barely seen dawn and Grace tried to stretch, but found herself unable to move. She felt Josh place his arms more snugly around her, but she still tried to stretch, if only to relieve the pain.

"_She's hurting," Josh murmured as he closed his eyes and then reached down to rub the pain out of her back._

"What'd you say?" Grace asked as she turned over to face him and he gave her a confused look. He hadn't said anything.

"Nothing," Josh said as he tried to keep her calm, she did not look like she was going to be in a good mood. "_And she's in a bad mood."_

"I'm in a bad mood!" Grace yelled as she tried to pull away from him, but was unable to.

"No," Josh stated as he gave her an even more confused look. He hadn't even said anything that she might react to. _"God, please, do not make her into a psycho girlfriend today."_

_ "Psycho girlfriend, I'll show him psycho girlfriend," _Grace said as he looked at her and realized that she hadn't said that back to him, he just knew it.

_"Look at my lips,"_ Josh said as he gently placed his hand on her face and she looked over at him.

"Why?" Grace asked aloud as he gently placed a finger over her lips to quiet her.

_"Just do it," _Josh said as he gave a gentle tug on her chin and she looked him in the eyes and then down at his lips. _"They're not moving now, right?"_

_ "Right," _Grace conferred as she gave him a very confused look. How was that possible?

_"These are our thoughts," _Josh explained as he closed his eyes and she just shook her head.

"Our thoughts!" Grace exclaimed as he put his hand over hers and gave her a concerned look.

"Yes," Josh said as Grace smiled. At least they could communicate that way, although they didn't know why it was important.

"So…" Grace started as he just shook his head. He had no clue what it meant in the grand scheme of things.

"It means that you are truly meant for each other, your potion," Andros said as Grace looked over at him. "You choose correctly, it is time for you to be justly rewarded for all that you've done."

"But…" Grace began as Andros just shook his head.

"Just take it Grace," Josh said as Andros smiled over at them.

"You are now partners, soul mates and lovers. This must be consummated on your home planet by midnight. Return from whence you came," Andros said as the two of them looked at each other. Neither of them had ever pegged Andros for the sentimental type.

The two felt themselves being teleported and to their surprise landed in Josh's home. He watched a blush creep onto her face as he moved closer to her. She was nervous and he couldn't cipher through the thoughts in her mind fast enough as they passed by him.

"Call your parents to let them know that you're back," Josh said as he gave her a quick hug and she barely nodded.

"I don't think they're going to let me…" Grace began as he looked over at her and then just shook his head.

"They'll understand Grace and take the potion while you're at it," Josh said as he grabbed her hand and she barely nodded.

"Why would I need to take the potion right now?" Grace asked as he led her into the kitchen and placed his phone in her hand.

"You're not that naïve," Josh said as he placed his hand on her back and she looked back at him.

"Is it sad to say that I'd forgotten about what it's going to be like?" Grace whispered as he put both of his arms around her and he smiled.

"A severe amount of pain can do that, take the medicine Grace, I need to go upstairs," Josh said as she gave him an odd look but barely nodded.

"But…" Grace started as he moved away from her and she just smiled at him.

"I won't be gone long, I promise," Josh said as he left her and she dialed the number from memory.

"Okay," Grace said as she called her parents and she then drank the potion. Before Josh returned she'd settled down on his couch and had drifted off to sleep. She had been working so hard the last few weeks and sleep had not come easily, now it was.

He slipped down the stairs and looked around the bottom floor until he found her on the couch. He smiled as she sighed in her sleep and then sat down next to her on the couch. His hand gently skimmed over her cheek and down the side of her neck. She slowly woke up and he gave her a kiss on the cheek before kissing her properly.

"Are you up for this?" Josh asked as she looked over at him and her eyes flashed over with realization of what was going on.

"I'm feeling better, I think we'll be fine," Grace said as her eyes finally focused on him and saw the excitement in his eyes.

"I'll let you wake up some more, do whatever you need to do," Josh whispered as he saw her cringe. That was not the reaction that he had thought he'd see.

"Whatever I want?" Grace asked as he looked over at her. Hopefully she'd have a good thing to talk about with him at the moment.

"Yes," Josh said, hesitantly, as she smiled over at him. She didn't mean to have him worried, but she somehow had managed that.

_'You in the shower, that would be nice,' _Grace thought to herself as he coughed as the thought ran through his mind as well. "I'll just take a shower."

"Okay," Josh said, quietly as she stood up and forced herself to walk up the stairs. _'Do you want any company?'_

"Shit," Grace cursed as she was walking up the stairs and she looked back at him. "You heard me?"

"Yes, I just hope that distance helps the thoughts stay away," Josh said as she nodded. She didn't really understand why that was going to be important in the future, but it seemed like it would be.

"Why?" Grace asked as she stopped on the stairs and looked over at him.

"I'd hate for you to know some of the things I think about you in class," Josh said as she just shook her head.

"Yeah, I don't think you'd love my thoughts either," Grace admitted as he nodded and then climbed onto the couch and laid down.

"That bad?" Josh asked as he smirked, but was glad that she couldn't see it.

"No, but it would leave you anxious to get home," Grace said as he closed his eyes and just shook his head.

"Shower or bed, take your pick?" Josh asked as she looked down at her clothes and realized that she was going to have to shower to even feel decent about herself.

"Shower then bed, I'm absolutely disgusting," Grace murmured as he laughed.

"Go ahead and shower, I'm going to take a nap," Josh whispered as he closed his eyes and he felt his eyes closed.

"You smell worse than I do," Grace commented as she jogged up the stairs and he just shook his head.

"I know, but tempting myself isn't fun," Josh commented before he turned onto his side and then quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"Hey," Josh whispered as Grace walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom.

"Hi," Grace said as she looked over at him and saw him sprawled out n the bed. She went over to his dresser and started scavenging for something to wear. Before she had found anything he had walked over to her and given her a hug.

"Don't bother," Josh said as she barely nodded.

"I'm scared," Grace whispered as he turned her around and she settled her head on his chest.

"It's okay to be scared," Josh muttered as he closed his eyes. He knew how much pain it would be for her, but it would get better, it really would. "I'm going to make this as enjoyable for you as possible."

"Is it possible?" Grace whispered as she looked up at him.

"I just have to be careful," Josh said as he looked down at her and she just gave him a confused look.

"This all just seems weird, this isn't my home," Grace whispered as he gave her a soft kiss.

"Grace, everything in this house is yours now, just as much as it is mine. I know that we can't technically be together until after you graduate, but it's yours," Josh whispered as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You know UCLA offered me a scholarship," Grace whispered as she closed her eyes.

"I know and we'll move when the time comes, but for now, this is yours. It will always be yours," Josh whispered as he leaned down to give her a kiss. "Relax, everything is going to be fine."

"You've done this before, I…" Grace started as he gave her a quick kiss.

"I love you, don't think about my past, never think about my past. She's not you, she will never be you, you're the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with," Josh whispered as he gave her a deep kiss and slowly moved her back towards the bed. He gently tugged on the towel and she let it fall to the floor. "You mean more to me than anyone ever has."


	37. Chapter 37

"I'll see you this afternoon," Josh whispered as he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. She had barely stirred when the alarm went off and he hoped she'd sleep through this. He really didn't want to go to school today, but his choices were very limited, he had spent enough days out with because of her lately. He didn't want anyone to catch on, especially with her this close to her graduating. They had worked too hard to keep it a secret for this to blow it.

"Where are you going?" Grace asked as her eyes barely opened. She had aches in places that she didn't even know existed and now he was saying good bye.

"Work, it is Monday after all," Josh said as she sat up and he watched as the sheet fell down her body. He could not help but smile as the memory of last night flashed through his mind and he sighed. He really wished that this wasn't necessary.

"Why did you let me stay?" Grace asked as she started to get out of bed and he gently held her in place.

"Because you are still under doctors orders to do nothing but sleep and rehab," Josh whispered as she looked up at him and he smiled. God, she was beautiful and he had no clue what he had done to deserve her.

"But I'm well now," Grace argued as he just sat down next to her and she leaned in to him.

"Your parents are giving us the rest of the time to be alone, you're not going to school for the next week," Josh said as her eyes widened in shock.

"I'm not a great cook," Grace confessed as his hands settled over hers and he smiled.

"That doesn't bother me," Josh whispered in her ear as she closed her eyes and he could tell that she was ready to go back to sleep.

"Are you sure?" Grace muttered as she looked back up at him and he laughed.

"Yes, I'll get dinner tonight, you get some more sleep, I'm sure that you're sore," Josh said as he stood up and then gently forced her to lay back down.

"Josh…" Grace whispered as he stopped at the foot of the bed and looked back at her. If he stayed there much longer he was going to be tempted to crawl in bed with her and stay there for the day, he couldn't do that, although it was what he wanted most, he couldn't.

"Hmm?" Josh said as she smiled up at him.

"I love you," Grace whispered as his smiled widened. He could get used to waking up like this in the morning.

"I love you too," Josh said as he watched her close her eyes and then quietly left the room. After everything she had given him last night, she deserved to be able to rest, she deserved the comfort of knowing that he'd never forsake that.

* * *

"You look good," Tommy said as he walked back down the hall with Josh later that day. It had been a long time since he had seen the boy this happy and it made him realize just how much he must love Grace. He'd never been like this with his past girlfriends, never. "Surprisingly good."

"I don't think that you want to hear why," Josh said as Tommy looked over at him. He was right about that aspect, but he still wanted to find out exactly what Andros had made them do. It would be good for future knowledge, just in case.

"You're right, I don't want to know, but I'm guessing everything went good," Tommy said as Josh barely nodded. He didn't trust himself to go much more than that.

"It did, I won't tell you the specifics, but everything went good," Josh said as Tommy just nodded. God help him, he had not planned on losing his little girl so soon, but he had and it couldn't have been to a better man. He had watched him grow from the lost boy that had lost his best friend to a man that knew where he was going and what he was doing without a single doubt.

"I can't believe we're talking about you and my…" Tommy began as Josh looked over at him in shock.

"That's the mission we were talking about, I don't think you need to hear how last night was," Josh said as Tommy just shut his eyes.

"You're right I don't. Although I'm sure that Grace and Kim have already talked about that," Tommy said as Josh opened his eyes and just shook his head. Of course his wife and his daughter would have a good talk about that while he was barely able to keep down his lunch.

"Why do women do that?" Josh asked as Tommy looked over at him in shock. Certainly Tommy would know that better than he would, he had been married for over twenty years.

"I've learned that there are some questions best left unanswered when it comes to women," Tommy said as Josh just stared at him.

"You've also been married for over twenty years, you never asked, not once?" Josh stated and the skepticism was not lost on Tommy. He had to admit that most of his knowledge came from the years he had spent with Kim and Josh would learn everything he knew one day.

"One day you'll say the same thing to someone, go on home. I know you'd much rather be there than anywhere else," Tommy said as Josh smiled at him. Tommy knew how this was and he knew how to make things better, hell he had been through this and much worse.

"Thanks, call if you need us for something," Josh said as Tommy watched him start down the hall to grab his things and just laughed. He was really looking forward to getting home to her.

"We won't unless there's an attack and she's sitting those out anyway," Tommy said as Josh nodded and then ran down the hall.

* * *

Josh walked into his home and looked around. He could see some small differences with Grace there, but nothing that he minded. Her shoes were next to the door and he noticed that things had been cleaned, slightly. At least neither of them qualified as a neat freak, he couldn't deal with that, even if he did love her. She would never accept his general clutter otherwise.

He sat his bag down and then began to loosen his tie, today hadn't been too bad, but it had certainly not been great either. He just wanted to be at home the entire time. After discarding his shoes and tie he ran up the stairs.

He found Grace in their bed and smiled. He had known that it would take a lot out of her and was glad she had rested some. He walked over to the closet and could not help but laugh. She had already taken up a small portion with clothes that he knew were her favorite. As he changed he heard her move around in the bed and he just shook his head. Of course she would wake up the moment he walked in and not give herself anymore rest.

"Hey, when'd you get in?" Grace asked as she rubbed her eyes and he smiled over at her.

"A few minutes ago. How are you feeling?" Josh asked as he reached over and placed his arms around her.

"Sore but good," Grace said as she smiled up at him and then pulled away. "I need to go for a run, it's the only thing Mom said I can do for the next few days."

"Okay, there's a trail behind the house all the way around is about a mile," Josh said as she nodded.

"How much of the land has no one else around?" Grace asked as she picked up a pair of shorts and a random t-shirt from a pile on the floor.

"Most of it is the family land, my brothers won't care," Josh said as she nodded while sitting down at the edge of the bed and pulling on her running shoes.

"Of course, want to come?" Grace asked as she tightened her shoes and then slowly stretched her neck.

"No, I've got to save my energy," Josh said as she just shook her head. Of course that was the only thing that he was going to think about for the next several weeks.

"Okay, no pain tonight right?" Grace asked as he walked over to her and he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Less," Josh replied in all honesty as she kissed him on the cheek and then left the room. He let out a sigh before calling after her and telling her that he'd go as well. He still was not ready to leave her completely alone. The last battle with Fillian had left him with enough worries to last him a life time.


	38. Chapter 38

A month later the rangers sat at their graduation ceremony with knots in their stomachs. They had had a rough battle the day before and they knew the time was drawing close. They were going to have to end this soon and it was going to cost them, they could all feel it. They just hoped that the cost would not be too much, they couldn't lose anyone because of it if they could help it.

Grace had taken it the hardest lately. When she returned to combat, they had gone after her mercilessly and her body was beat up. Thanks to Billy and some creative solutions, she had been able to withstand it, but they all knew it might be too much at any time. One more hard battle and her body was very likely to break.

"You look tired," Aiden whispered as Grace's head dropped and he tapped her on the shoulder. "How was last night?"

"Scary…" Grace said as she looked down at her feet and then back out into the crowd. She did not want to talk about meeting Josh's family, at least not right now.

"That's the only word that you have for it?" Aiden asked as Grace barely nodded. She was feeling worse and worse by the minute and he knew that it wouldn't get better until all of this was over. It seemed that the energy was just being pulled out of her body.

"They're all nice, but I'm worried something will be said, it would…" Grace started as he gave her a really worried look and then placed his hand over her knee.

"Don't worry, you've got an hour or two before you can be together, in whatever ways you want," Aiden said as Grace barely nodded.

"I'm staying at the house tonight," Grace whispered as Aiden smiled at her and she then looked over at the crowd and saw her husband with a smile on his face.

"Why do you sound sad about that?" Aiden asked as she just shook her head.

"Because after tonight, I won't be staying at home anymore," Grace said as Aiden just looked over at him. He had not thought that things would move this fast, but he could tell that Grace was barely holding onto her sanity at the moment.

"Wow," Aiden muttered as he hastily wiped his face. She was his twin, he'd never been without her and he wasn't sure how he'd deal with it.

"Yeah, I know, but I can't…I can't be without him," Grace murmured as Aiden just nodded. He didn't have anything else to say.

"I know, don't worry about what it's going to do to us, you've got to take care of yourself now," Aiden said as Grace just sat there and she closed her eyes. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Grace sat out on the deck and stared out into the woods. Most of her things were packed in boxes or in the jeep, her dad had given her the keys to the jeep earlier that day since he knew that she was going to need it a lot more than them now. Josh had given her tonight to do what she had to, but she just couldn't. This was her childhood home, her place to land. His house just seemed foreign, although she'd never tell him that, she knew it would upset him.

He had told her to take all the time she needed, but she had decided to do this quickly. She knew that it would only get harder especially with her feelings for him. The rangers and her parents were taking it well, but Aiden wasn't and she understood it. They had a bond that couldn't be broken, but this was the first test that the two of them had gone through and she was just as nervous that they would fail it.

"Hi," Grace said as Aiden walked up behind her.

"You knew I'd come out here," Aiden stated as he sat down next to her on the steps and she placed her arm around him.

"Yeah, I did. Sit down Aiden," Grace said as he placed his head on her shoulder.

"Does Josh know you can only cook rice?" Aiden asked as Grace smiled. She had a feeling that Aiden was going to do this long questionnaire for awhile, it just seemed that he had reached his breaking point.

"Aiden…" Grace began as he started again.

"Does he know you've never been able to blow a bubble gum bubble?"Aiden asked as he gave her a hug.

"A…" Grace started and she just stared at him.

"Does he know that you have a bad knee that only hurts when it rain?" Aiden asked as he clutched to her and she finally returned the hug. "Or that you still scream like a five year old when you hear thunder?"

"Aiden!" Grace yelled as he had started shaking and he looked up at her.

"What?" Aiden asked as he lifted his head off her shoulder and looked at her.

"He knows most if not all of that. And yes, you're my twin, but if you tell me that you know when we've had sex…" Grace threatened as he just laughed.

"I don't, at least not because of the freaky twin connection that we have," Aiden said as she just glared at him.

"I knew it," Grace stated as he just shook his head.

"Knew what?" Aiden asked as he closed his eyes. She was going to kill him or she might kill Josh first.

"That he was telling you," Grace said as he closed his eyes.

"He didn't tell me if it was good or bad," Aiden said as she glared at him. He hoped to God that she didn't kill him. She certainly looked like she was entertaining the idea and that did not make him feel good, not at all.

"I don't care, he shouldn't tell you at all," Grace said as he closed his mouth.

"Guys like to talk about it," Aiden said as Grace just shut his eyes.

"I know, at least he didn't tell you the details," Grace muttered as he just placed his hands over hers.

"Good or bad?" Aiden asked as she blushed and he just stared over at her.

"Better than I imagined it would be," Grace whispered as he tried not to gag. He could not help it, she was his little sister and it was a good thing that Josh had kept those details away from him.

"All I needed to know," Aiden said as she laughed, turnabout was definitely fair play.

"We've got to defeat the monster," Grace murmured as she placed her head against her knees and Aiden then reached over to hold her.

"I know…" Aiden started as he pulled her back up to his shoulder and she gently put her head on his shoulder.

"Soon, I can't keep doing this. I've almost died three times," Grace said as he closed his eyes.

"Four," Aiden whispered as he clung to her. He could only imagine the things that Josh had gone through those nights when she had been lying on the gurney downstairs. He had cried enough tears to make a small lake and Josh had had to go home and wait it out away from the woman that he loved. He knew that Josh had barely been able to function those days at school, he only imagined what he did at home.

"Okay, so you keep better count than me, I just don't know how we're going to do this," Grace whispered as he smiled.

"We'll do it, it'll all work out," Aiden said as he closed his eyes.

"I hope you're right Aiden," Grace whispered as she closed her eyes and he heard her breath settle down and knew she would soon fall asleep.

"I am, you have nothing to worry about," Aiden whispered as he let her fall asleep and then he picked her up and took her upstairs to put her in bed. He hated seeing her like this, so worried about things that she couldn't change, things that could kill her if she slipped. He couldn't lose her, none of them could.


	39. Chapter 39

Grace sat on the couch, reading as she listened to Josh humming in the next room. Although half the city knew they were living together, no one at the school had said anything, yet. The principal seemed to just accept it, like everyone else had, but they didn't know how long that might last. There were bound to be people that did not like what they were doing.

"When do you have the tour of UCLA?" Josh asked as he walked back into the living room and sat down next to her.

"I'm going at the beginning of July, hopefully everything will be calmed down by then," Grace said as he ran his fingers gently through her hair and she slowly closed her eyes.

"It should be," Josh said as he closed his eyes. She had taken some ridicule already, but he had a feeling that it was going to get worse for her, at least for a little while.

"Dad is working on some of the details, but we should be ready to do this in the next week or so," Grace whispered as his hand trailed further down her arm and she tried to keep her composure, but she felt it waning.

"Glad to hear it, I miss you being in our bed every night," Josh said as her eyes closed and he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. He wanted to do so much more, but he was not sure that he should be even thinking it right now. She looked like she was ready to pass out at any moment and that worried him.

"I miss it too, but this stuff has to be done and I'd rather do it now, if we wait things could get worse," Grace said as he gently propped her up and then settled her down on his lap.

"Hurry, that's all I'm asking," Josh said as he gently rubbed her stomach and she smiled up at him. He had a tendency to caress her over the scar whenever he was worried about their well being and she loved that he didn't even notice that he was doing that.

"I'll try my best," Grace said as she forced herself to sit up and he gave her a discouraged look. He had been doing so good until then, he had actually started to hope that she would stay up with him and watch the ball game with his brothers.

"Taking a nap?" Josh asked as she stood up and barely nodded.

"I had gotten three hours of sleep before you woke me up for a run," Grace said as he nodded. She looked like crap and he couldn't blame her for needing sleep. He was just being selfish, he hadn't seen her anymore than she'd seen him since she'd graduated.

"Okay, go nap, but you're mine tonight, I don't care what they want you for, I need you," Josh whispered as she nodded in understanding. They hadn't been with each other in weeks and it was even starting to drive her to the brink. She knew that when she started considering just throwing him in a closet and having her way with him that things were bad. She knew that he could not be much better.

"Possessive much?" Grace asked with a smile as he just shook his head.

"Kinda, you are my wife and I haven't seen you much in the last week," Josh said as he managed a smile.

"Be glad that you've seen me at all Josh," Grace said as she stopped on the stairs and he laughed.

"I am, I just want one night with you before you have to put all your time into this. I know how much it takes to take down a being like this," Josh said as he watched her go up the stairs and he just shook his head. She was going to need every moment of sleep that she got today.

* * *

Grace bolted upright and she looked around to try to find what had awakened her. The clock read 9:30 and she let out a sigh, she had only been asleep for an hour. She settled back down in time to hear Josh shout and she then ran out of their room. Everything bad that could happen to him was screaming through her mind as she ran down the hallway towards the noise. When she opened the door she just shook her head, she could not believe this.

"Josh, can you please keep it down," Grace stated as she stood in the doorway and he smiled.

"Sorry, I thought you'd be knocked out by now, go back to sleep," Josh said as he stood up and walked back over to the door and gave her a quick kiss. "We'll be quiet."

"She looks like hell," Jeremy muttered when he was sure that Grace was out of ear shot. She would kill him if she heard that.

"Yeah, the last few days have been hard, she's been pulling all nighters lately," Josh said as Jeremy gave him an odd look, but kept his mouth shut. He knew far too much about Grace, stuff that the others didn't.

"She's just graduated from high school what does she have to pull all nighters for?" Jared asked as Josh let out a sigh and then grabbed a beer that had been sitting in the cooler on the floor between the four of them.

"You have no idea, but it will be over soon," Josh said as they all gave him an odd look. What in the world could she possibly be ending?

"How can you be so sure?" Jared asked as Josh closed his eyes.

"Because I've had to do this myself at one point," Josh said as two of their brothers mouth's fell open.

"Wow, what have you hidden from us all these years?" Jesse asked as Josh looked over at Jeremy. Their two younger siblings were never going to let them get away with this. They would pester the two of them until they knew the truth about what had happened in the past.

"Nothing that I'll ever tell you about," Josh stated as Jeremy just shook his head. Josh was going to crack at any moment.

"You don't want us to know?" Jared asked as he moved closer to Josh and he looked away.

"You can't know, but Grace has to deal with it now, but it will soon be over," Josh said as Jared just shook his head.

"You really believe that?" Jesse asked as Josh just shook his head. The two of them would be the death of him.

"I know it, my wife can't take much more," Josh said as all three of them stared at him in shock and he just sighed. He had really screwed up with mentioning something like that in front of them.

"You're not even engaged, why call her your wife?" Jeremy asked as Josh sighed and they just looked at him.

"She might as well be, you love her more than any woman I've ever seen you with. When are you going to marry her?" Jesse asked as Josh just looked away from all of them.

"Soon, when all of this is over," Josh admitted as they all just laughed.

"But she'll only have been out of school for a little while," Jared said as Josh just nodded. It was going to be horrible to tell them the truth some day.

"Half the town knows and I haven't been fired yet," Josh said as Jared laughed, none of them were sure how long that would last like that.

"I'd not do anything too quickly or you won't have a job, take this slow and it will all be fine," Jeremy advised as Josh just shook his head.

"We've never taken things slow, we don't know how to," Josh said as he looked at the tv and then groaned. USC was now down by 2 runs in the seventh inning, this was going to be fun.

"You might want to do that now," Jeremy advised as Josh just shook his head.

"Actually, I'm interviewing for jobs in LA next week," Josh stated as they all looked at him and just sighed.

"Are you crazy?" Jeremy yelled as Josh placed his hand over his mouth and just shook his head.

"Stay quiet, you wake her up again, I will kill you," Josh stated as Jeremy jerked away from him.

"Have you lost it?" Jesse asked as Josh just stared at him.

"No, we've been dating for the last year and I almost lost her in April, not to mention the three times since then that she's been knocked out for hours at a time, I can't go through something like that again," Josh said as his eyes narrowed. If they continued to doubt him, then things would just get worse, they all knew what his temper was like when they questioned him on things like this.

"She'll still be here when it's all over," Jared suggested as Josh just lowered his head. They didn't have a clue what was going on, but they didn't need to know. They really didn't need to know.

"She might not be," Josh whispered as he closed his eyes.

"Come on Josh, what could possibly happen to her?" Jesse asked as Josh looked over at Jeremy and he just shook his head.

"She could be killed while she fights to give us a monster free world," Josh stated as they all looked at him and Jeremy cringed.

"Come on, she's not a ranger, that's absurd," Jared said as Josh just closed his eyes. They were going to kill him, if at all possible.

"It's actually not…" Jeremy started as he looked over at Josh. "Time to fess up."

"You're serious?" Jesse asked as Josh nodded.

"I could lose her at any moment and if I do lose her, you don't want to know what would happen to me. I wouldn't be able to make it," Josh said as he closed his eyes and he tried to keep from crying in front of them.

"She's not going to die," Jared whispered as he looked over at him.

"She's come too close for me to be sure she won't, I can't lose her," Josh whispered as he just shook his head.

"You won't," Jeremy said as Josh looked over at her.

"You don't know, what's coming after them could change everything," Josh said as he turned back to the tv and the others looked at each other. This topic was closed for discussion and none of them dared to say anything about it again.


	40. Chapter 40

Grace walked into the Command Center the next day and placed her bags on the floor. She'd gathered up her things for the night, knowing she'd be lucky to get home by tomorrow. Josh had done exactly as he promised and she could not wipe the smile off her face. She loved him, there was no doubt of that. He could never be replaced in her heart.

"Hey, you look good this morning, really good," Aiden said as he gave her a wary look. He had an idea of what made her smile like that, but he was unwilling to ask either her or Josh about it. He knew that answer was very likely to upset him.

"I had a good night's rest. What did I miss last night?" Grace asked as she pulled her arms up and stretched out her back, revealing the scar across the bottom of her stomach.

"Dad's breakdown," Aiden said as he tugged at the bottom of her shirt. The scar was going to bother him for the rest of his life, because he had let it happen to her, he didn't know what Josh was facing. He didn't know how much that monster had scarred him in the past, it was something that they all should have known.

"Really?" Grace asked as she looked around at the others.

"It wasn't that bad, he just told us that he wouldn't help anymore, it was time that we figure this out on our own," Aiden said as Grace groaned. This was about to become her own personal living hell. She might as well go ahead and call Josh, she was not going to be home for the next few days, unless they got an idea.

"Great, come on then, we've got a lot of work to do," Grace said as she started clicking away on the computer.

"Are you sure…" Aiden began as she looked around at the rest of them.

"We've got to learn to swim, it's past Mom and Dad's time," Grace said as her eyes closed and he smiled.

"Are you sure?" Aiden asked again as Grace glared at him and just shook his head.

"Yeah, I can end this, we just have to get through it," Grace said as she continued to work on things on the system that Aiden, as well as, most of the others he had never seen.

"Do you want to end it?" Aiden asked as Grace looked over at him and just shook his head.

"My children deserve to not have to worry about this, to be able to live a normal life. Will Josh and I probably have to do some things to maintain the peace? Yes, but it will be worth it," Grace said as Aiden smiled.

"Grace, how are you going to defeat this thing?" Aiden asked as she just continued to click through pages and read everything that she came to.

"I'm going to offer him something that he can't refuse," Grace stated as she continued to look through the computer files. There had to be something here that they had missed before.

* * *

Aiden stood in the middle of the park at midnight, waiting. Grace had issued a challenge to Fillian, one that he couldn't ignore. He had the opportunity to bring the rangers down in one meeting.

"I hope you're right," Aiden whispered as he heard Grace's gentle laugh. If they finished this, then Grace was never going to be at home again, but he accepted it. She had just found her happily ever after first.

A few moments later Aiden saw a being walking towards the meeting area. They were all trespassing, but they couldn't afford to be seen, at least not yet. As the being moved closer, he recognized the gait and tensed. Fillian was not alone and the person with him shocked them all.

"Hello Aiden," Josh said as his eyes glazed over and Aiden gulped. This did not look good at all. He knew that Josh was capable of almost anything when he was evil, things that would likely kill his sister.

"Josh, what the hell are you doing here?" Aiden yelled as he took a battle stance.

"He's helping me now," Fillian said as he walked over to the trees and grabbed Grace and then hauled her out into the open. Aiden's heart jumped into his throat and he tried to moved towards her, but found himself pinned.

"Josh! Let me go!" Grace yelled at the top of her lungs as she tried to break away from him, but she couldn't.

"So you're the savior of the ranger world? I bow," Fillian said as he did a mock bow and Grace looked over at him.

"Aiden!" Grace yelled as Josh placed his hand over her mouth and she attempted to bite down on it, but he only clamped it down harder.

"We don't want him, we want you," Fillian said as she started struggling with her full power and tried to keep her cool, but it was proved to be useless. She was scared to death of what Josh might do, he was a strong man, even with no powers.

"No…" Aiden started as she closed her eyes and gulped. Josh couldn't do this, he couldn't.

"Aiden, get out of here!" Grace yelled and he stood still as Grace fought to release herself from Josh's grasp. The other rangers were trapped as they watched Grace scream in pain as something shot out of her body, causing her to fall limp.

"Grace!" Aiden yelled as her eyes opened again and she looked possessed, at the very least.

"Do what she says Aiden and you won't be hurt," Fillian said with a smile as Aiden just shook his head. This couldn't happen.

Aiden took a deep breath and pulled himself forward a step, if he could just break the bond holding him then he could help Grace. He just knew it, he just had to try harder, and there was no way that he could let her die now.

"She spent her energy trying to save you, how ironic that you'll be the one to kill her," Fillian said as Aiden just shook his head, he'd hurt her, but he would not kill her. That was the one thing that she knew for sure.

"You meant nothing to me Grace," Josh said and at that moment, Aiden as well as the others, broke free of the hold and charged Fillian. Josh's eyes flashed red and then returned to normal, Grace was barely holding on to her life force and he felt drained as well. "What did I do?"

"You let me sway you, she's dying because she thought you'd abandoned her, what a horrible fate," Fillian said as Josh looked up at him and then let out a yell that made even Fillian cringe. The man would kill him, if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Grace, come on, don't leave me," Josh whispered as he brushed her hair out of her face. "Come on, Grace."

"Now we can't be defeated," Fillian said as Josh just shook his head. Aiden then ran at Fillian and launched into attacking him.

"I loved you since that first day, the time when you kissed me and I felt my heart flutter. I love you now, even with me dying. I will love you forever Josh," Grace whispered as she placed her hand on his cheek and felt the tears rolling down his face. A moment later her hand fell to the ground and Josh let out a scream of agony.

Aiden and the others were thrown to the ground as Fillian erupted into flames. Josh shielded Grace as the flames flickered out towards them and the tears fell from his eyes.

Fillian yelled as his body caught fire, but death would not come. He then felt his bones begin to snap, poking through his molten flesh and then receding back into his body. He yelled as the pain became too much, but didn't stop. Slowly the flames faded and he sighed. In the next moment small rays of light started to burst from his skin and he gave the rangers an odd look before he exploded into more pieces than any of them could count. Josh then placed his head on Grace's shoulder and sobbed.

"Grace, my grace. Why did you have to go? Why couldn't you stay with me? All I wanted was to make you my wife. To be able to protect you, but I couldn't," Josh whispered as he just cradled her in his arms.

"Josh…" Aiden started as he reached the two of them and then placed his hand on Grace's throat to try to find a pulse, which he did.

"Aiden, she's my wife," Josh said as he looked over at him in complete shock.

"She's not dead, yet," Aiden said as he grabbed Josh's hand and then grabbed Grace's as well before he teleported them away. They had ended it, but hopefully it hadn't killed one of them in the process.


	41. Chapter 41

**AN: The time frames are in relation to the one above, not in relation to the time after the rangers are defeated except for the first. Please keep this in mind as you read through the chapter. ENJOY!!**

_Epilogue_

_One Month Later_

Grace looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She could not believe that she was getting married, especially this soon. Josh had come up with the idea after he had saved her, at that point he couldn't chance never making it official. She wanted it, but neither of them knew how it would be reacted to by the rest of their family, especially Josh's. To their complete and utter surprise all of the family had given them their full support, they had even helped them throw the wedding together in all of two weeks.

"You ready?" Tommy asked as he walked into the back room and he tugged at his tie. He hated wearing tuxedos, but he knew that refusing to wear one to his daughter's wedding would cause a mutiny in his household and he did not want that right now.

"Dad, did you ever think this would happen?" Grace asked as she turned around to face him and saw the tears he was barely holding back. This was his little girl and she no longer looked like a little girl anymore. He stared at her as he just shook his head. She looked absolutely beautiful in her dress, it hugged her curves and reminded him that she was really about to get married. It differed so much from Kim's dress, but he knew that Josh would just stare, that was all he would be able to do.

"I knew that you would get married eventually," Tommy said as he shifted from one foot to the other. He did not want to cry, he really didn't, but he had a feeling he would, very soon.

"That's not what I'm asking, you know that," Grace said as she linked her arm through his and he looked away.

"Not this fast, at least that was what I had hoped. Your mom and I went through some tough times when we first got married, I had hoped that you wouldn't have to go through that with him," Tommy said as Grace nodded and then wrapped him up in a strong hug. "You know that if he ever does anything…"

"Dad, you've threatened him enough on your own, don't worry I'd call," Grace said as she tugged his arm and they walked out to stand behind the doors that opened into the auditorium. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

_One Month Later_

Grace sat in their apartment unpacking boxes and thinking. Josh had gone into work early that morning and she was delegated to box duty. The last month had been amazingly hectic and she could not believe that Josh had married her, but he had and they had moved last week.

She began training at UCLA in three days and he had workshops for the next two weeks with the school system. Thanks to an odd gift from her parents, they had been able to find a decent place off campus. She could still remember the shock in Josh's eyes as they accepted it. This meant they didn't have to sell his house and after her four years here, they could go back to Reefside if they wanted.

"You've made a lot of progress, why don't you take a break?" Josh said as he walked into the living room and saw the empty boxes piled around her, as well as a huge bottle of water sitting next to her. She looked like she was ready to fall asleep from boredom, but she had just pulled out one of their wedding pictures, neither of them were looking at the camera that didn't matter though, they looked so in love. It was a picture that honestly took his breath away every time he saw it.

"I didn't hear you come in," Grace said as she looked back at him and he leaned down to give her a kiss on the top of her head. She had been taking things pretty hard lately, especially with her latest brush with death. He had just started leaving her alone during the day, but it wasn't often and it was only when necessary.

"I've been here for awhile, just wanted to watch you," Josh said as he sat down next to her and started pulling stuff out of another box.

"How was your day?" Grace asked as he smiled over at her and then she leaned in to kiss him as well.

"I've had better, my co-teachers are…they know why I moved down here," Josh whispered as he closed his eyes. This was not exactly good news. They had hoped that it wouldn't be an issue, but it obviously had become one now.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I need to go do some tumbling tonight, want to come watch?" Grace asked as he smiled. The thoughts that ran across his mind were not good ones, but she obviously was not going to say anything about those thoughts at the moment.

"Will you be in a leotard?" Josh asked as he moved behind her and then kissed her on the neck.

"Probably not, I hate those things," Grace said as she looked back at him and then placed a kiss just below his ear and he closed his eyes.

"Okay, let's go now and then grab some groceries on the way back," Josh said as she forced herself to stand up and he watched her walk down the hall to get something besides one of his shirts to wear.

"Come on, I want to get back earlier tonight," Grace said as she walked back out in a leotard and a pair of shorts and he smiled.

"Of course," Josh said as he stood up and then walked out the door with her right behind him.

* * *

_Eight Months Later_

Grace lay in the hospital bed as the pain surged through her body. She had missed a grip on her bar routine the day before and had flown off the bar and landed squarely on her side which not only bruised her, it also reinjured her back. She had been placed on strict bed rest for the next week and she could not help but be absolutely frustrated. She was the number one ranked gymnast nationwide and now she was going to be forced to lie in a bed while the rest of her team went to nationals.

"Grace," Josh whispered as he opened the door and looked over at her to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. He had no idea what she was going through and after talking to Kim, he knew that hell was probably very accurate. She was so mad that her body had let her down, so mad that the reality was that she would not be able to compete.

"Don't Josh, you can't make me feel better," Grace said as he walked over to the side of her bed and he then lifted her up and clutched her to him. She just stared up at him as he sat down on the bed and then laid her back against him.

"I know, but I'm not leaving you," Josh whispered as he gently ran his fingers through her hair and she slumped back against him. He'd never leave her, he just hoped that she understood that.

* * *

_Three Months Later_

Grace loosened up at she looked at the mat in the center of the floor. Her doctor had just cleared her to tumble again and she knew she had to get up to speed with the rest of her teammates. She had been doing some light tumbling at home, but her mom had been extra strict on her this time, she hadn't been able to do much.

She stepped out onto the floor and closed her eyes. The coach had given her about thirty minutes alone in the gym to see how far behind she was. She bounced on the balls of her feet before she sprinted across the floor and executed the simplest pass that she knew. As she landed on the other side a smile played on her face. Her back was healed and it seemed like she was not going to have much of a problem.

* * *

_Six Months Later_

Grace was sleeping soundly on the couch when Josh got in from work that night. He noticed that she had a book lying against her chest and he wondered if it was school work, until he got closer and read the title. He felt shock go through his veins as he watched her sleep. She couldn't seriously be pregnant, they had been using protection.

"Hey," Grace said as she looked up at him and then down at the book that was lying on her chest. "I can explain…"

"You're pregnant," Josh stated as Grace forced a weak smile and then nodded her head. "How far along?"

"Not very far along, but when they did the random drug tests last week, it came back negative, like normal. The coach called me in though, the pregnancy test came back positive," Grace said as she sat up and Josh then sat down next to her. "I'm not sure that we're ready for this."

"If it's true we'll make it work," Josh said as Grace just looked over at him, he then put both his arms around her. "Hey, it's okay. We'll go to the doctor tomorrow."

"I'm scared," Grace whispered as he looked up and then kissed her on the lips.

"So am I, but we'll be okay," Josh muttered as he gently pushed her back against the couch and gently tugged at her shirt. "Let's celebrate tonight."

* * *

_One Month Later_

"Grace!" Josh called as he walked into their home and he was startled by the complete and utter silence. "Grace! What's going on?"

He looked at the living room and dining room and then sighed. Grace was nowhere to be found and he doubted that she was in their room this early in the evening. He then walked down the short hall to their room and checked their bed, just in case. He found her curled up in a ball on their bed and he took a tentative step towards her, before he saw her shaking with silent sobs.

"Grace, what's wrong?" Josh asked as he walked over to the bed and he then sat down next to her. "Talk to me, please."

"I've lost the baby," Grace whispered as Josh gulped as the pain hit him and he then laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Grace, oh god, I'm so sorry," Josh whispered as he just molded his body to hers and held her as closely as he could. "I'm so sorry."

"I guess the team won't lose me after all," Grace forced out before the sobs over took her and he closed his eyes as the tears streamed down his own cheeks. The gymnastics team had been supportive, but they hadn't made it easy for Grace and he couldn't help but wonder what they stress had done to her.

"Shh, let's not talk about that tonight," Josh whispered as he watched her turn around in his arms before she buried her face against his chest and just wept. Soon his own sobs joined hers and they just laid there, crying. Neither of them remembered when it stopped, all they knew was that they woke up in the next morning still clutching each other, like their lives depended on it.

* * *

_Eleven Months Later_

Josh sat in the bleachers, keeping his eyes on the girl with the number five between her shoulders. The national championship had always been just out of Grace's reach for the last two years. Her back had been reinjured her freshman year and they had been in the midst of battling a monster last year. They had thought she had defeated them, obviously she hadn't. This year had been peaceful, so far.

"Hey, how long have you been here?" Kim asked as she sat down next to Josh and he just shook his head. Grace did not look so good, but she'd be okay. It was just nerves.

"Long enough to know that she's nervous," Josh said as he took a sip of water and then stared back out at Grace.

"She'll do fine, she always does," Tommy said as Josh rolled his eyes. This was not going to be a good thing if Grace didn't win, she had deserved it and he'd never hear the end of it if she twisted her ankle on the beam and that caused her to lose, yet again.

"You have no idea how worried I am," Josh said as he gave her a quick glance and tried to look inconspicuous.

"Third times the charm," Kim said as she gave Josh's hand a squeeze and he let out a sigh.

Grace closed her eyes as she stood next to the beam. She had a slight lead at the end of three events, but she had to nail this. She looked up into the crowd and saw Josh watching her with a smile. She felt herself calm before she placed her hands on the beam and began her routine.

-------------------

"Congrats," Josh said as he gave her a hug and she just closed her eyes. "You did really good today."

"Was it worth missing your niece's birthday?" Grace asked as she pulled back from him so that she could look him in the eyes.

"For you, yes, come on let's go get you in something more comfortable and eat in tonight," Josh said as she closed her eyes. She did not want to disappoint him, but there were other things expected of her right now. "You already have plans."

"We were going to go out and celebrate…" Grace trailed off as her hands tightened compulsively around his and he smiled.

"Okay, it's your choice," Josh said as she just smiled at him.

"Come with us to celebrate, you won't be the only one there that's not on the team," Grace said as he cringed. There was something that bothered him about that, he wasn't like all the other boyfriends, he was a teacher in high school, out of college for several years. He knew that all the other boyfriends were about the same age as the girls and he knew no one else was married.

"It's okay, I don't have to come with you," Josh said as he pulled away from her for a moment and she looked away, she felt absolutely horrible for this. He always felt that he couldn't hang around with the other guys, just because he could have easily taught them something in high school.

"I want you to, most of the team doesn't even know that we're married," Grace said as she stood on her tiptoes and then pulled him down for a kiss that seared him to the core. He couldn't believe that she was doing this in front of them, but he finally realized that she didn't care, she just wanted him.

* * *

_Four months later_

"I'm not ready for children!" Grace yelled as she ran her fingers through her hair, she could not believe that they were having this conversation.

"Grace, please," Josh said as he tried to grab her hands and she just pulled away from him.

"No Josh, I have a year left of school, I want to defend my championship and I can't do that if I'm pregnant. I'm sorry all your friends are having babies and you are left out but I'm not ready Josh, I'm just not," Grace said as she just stared up at him. He did not look mad, but he was definitely frustrated with her.

"It's okay Grace, it's okay, I didn't mean to make you so upset. I just…" Josh trailed off as he wiped his hands on his pants in an attempt to stop the sweat from pooling, but it wouldn't. He had known that the two of them were probably going to be at different places, but he had hoped that they would want a baby soon.

"You want to start a family…I get it. I just need time," Grace said as she looked up at him and her eyes closed, he looked so disappointed.

"I know, Grace and that's okay," Josh said as he placed both his arms around her and she just collapsed against him.

"Doesn't mean that we can't practice," Grace whispered as she smiled up at him and he laughed.

"I'm glad of that, I don't think I could stand not having that," Josh said as he released her and then gently tugged her towards their bed room.

"After I graduate I promise that we'll try," Grace said as he picked her up and then carried her into the bedroom where she began chuckling and his laughter soon joined hers as well.

* * *

_Two Months Later_

"Aiden! I can't believe you're getting married," Grace said as he chuckled on the other end of the phone. She was never going to let him live this down.

"Neither can I, but she's great Grace, she really is," Aiden said as he looked over to his bed and smiled as her mess of blond hair peaked out from under the covers.

"I'm happy for you," Grace said as she smiled on the other end of the phone.

"Good, have you figured out how to activate the power again?" Aiden asked as he moved from his dorm room into the hall.

"No, hopefully I will soon, I've got about nine months to figure it out," Grace said as she heard his mouth drop open and she stifled a laugh.

"You're pregnant?" Aiden forced out as she laughed.

"No, but we're going to start trying at the end of the school year," Grace said as Aiden nodded.

"Wow, so I'll get to be an uncle soon?" Aiden asked as Grace just smiled.

"Hopefully, I gotta go, but I'll call you tomorrow. Congrats," Grace said as he smiled on the other end of the line.

"Thanks, don't wear yourself out trying to fix this," Aiden said as he had flashes of her lying in the command center dying and none of them could save her. Josh brought her out of it, but none of them knew how.

"I don't have a choice, I want to have a family, just as much as he does," Grace said as she placed the phone in the cradle and sighed. Aiden would be angry, but she couldn't face a lecture from him right now. She just needed time.

* * *

_Eight Months Later_

"Damn it Dad, I don't remember," Grace yelled as she paced around the Command Center and he sighed. She had to have to somewhere, it would just take time to find it and time was not something that they had anymore.

"Relax Grace, you will in time, until then the two of you need to be careful. You're graduating in a couple weeks and I don't want my grandchild in danger because of this," Tommy said as he pulled her hair back and put it in a ponytail. He'd do anything right now to get her to just relax and let the memories flow.

"I nearly died the last time, I can't leave Josh like that," Grace said as she wiped her eyes and tried to focus, but nothing would come.

"Leave…leave might work," Tommy said as he got a weird idea, he just hoped that it would work.

"Dad…" Grace started as she turned around to face him and saw him pacing.

"I left my powers behind, you leave your powers now, the baby will leave it's powers if you do this now," Tommy said as Grace gave him a confused look. How was that possible?

"What was that?" Grace asked as he walked over to her.

"Just say it, but only with I…it should work," Tommy said as she barely nodded.

"I left my power behind, they are no longer mine, I leave my power now, I have no need. I will leave them all until the end of time," Grace said, she then collapsed and Tommy held her upright.

"Josh!" Tommy bellowed up the stairs and his son-in-law then ran down them to see him placing her on the floor.

"What happened?" Josh asked as he reached them and placed his hand on her cheek before reaching for her throat to check for a pulse.

"She got rid of the evil," Tommy said as Josh closed his eyes. It had nearly killed her before, but if they didn't do it now, it would be too risky to chance later.

"Grace, come on, wake up," Josh said as he gently patted her face and she didn't so much as whimper. "Come on, you're okay, you and the baby are fine. I need the two of you."

"What did you say last time?" Tommy asked as Josh just looked at him for a moment before he grabbed both of Grace's hands and took in a deep breath.

"You are my wife and you will not die," Josh whispered in her ear before he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and she then gulped in a breath of air and he relaxed. She was going to be all right.

* * *

_Six Months Later_

"You're finally showing," Aiden said as he walked up to her in his tux and she smiled. He had cut his hair a couple inches since high school, but still insisted on keeping it long and if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was worried.

"Yeah and I can feel the baby kick too," Grace said as she placed her hand over her ever expanding abdomen and he smiled at the sight of her.

"Little sister how did you do this?" Aiden asked as he placed his hand on her stomach and smiled as the baby hammered against it.

"You know how," Grace said with a look as he just shook his head.

"No that's not what I mean, how did you grow up and not need me anymore?" Aiden asked as he pulled his hand away and she just smiled at him.

"Twin, don't get emotional on me now, my emotions are bad enough lately without you doing something like this," Grace said as he pulled her into a hug and she closed her eyes. For years he had been her protector, when no one else would help her and she'd never forget it. He was her big brother, but it was more than that and they both knew it. They were the only people that had known everything about the other, until their mates came along.

"Has Josh felt the baby kick yet?" Aiden asked as he pulled away and hastily wiped his eyes, her emotions must have been rubbing off on him.

"Yeah, he claims it's a boy," Grace said with a smile as Aiden just nodded. He could agree with that, but he didn't want to make his sister mad.

"And what do you think?" Aiden asked as she just shook her head.

"That I wouldn't mind either, I just want a healthy baby," Grace said as Aiden nodded that he understood, that was the only thing he was hoping for, for them. Josh and Grace couldn't survive much more hardship.

"I'm sure he wants the same, so you're moving back to Reefside?" Aiden asked as Grace barely nodded.

"Yeah, it just feels right. He's going to finish out the year and then we'll move back. I can teach at the dojo, Dad already agreed. It's home, to the both of us," Grace said as Aiden smiled. It would be really good to have her back within a ten minute drive.

"I've got to head to the front of the church soon, any words of wisdom?" Aiden asked as he put his arm around her and he led her back towards the door that she had slipped through a few minutes ago.

"Mean what you say and it will never lead you wrong Aiden. You have to love her though, you have to or it won't work," Grace said as he just nodded. He really couldn't find any words to say to her at the moment.

* * *

_Two and a half months later_

"Josh," Grace whispered as she walked downstairs and he looked over at her. He could tell that she was uncomfortably pregnant and just ready to have the baby and he couldn't say that he blamed her. She had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for the last two weeks and now her muscles were just in knots. The baby needed to get here soon.

"I thought you went asleep awhile ago," Josh stated as he placed his papers on the coffee table and she waddled over to him.

"I tried, but I've been having really bad cramps tonight," Grace said as he helped her sit down and then placed his hand over her stomach. He felt how tight the muscles were and let out a sigh.

"Cramps or contractions?" Josh asked as she cringed and he placed his hand back on her stomach and felt the difference.

"I'm not really sure anymore, all I know is that I can't lay down in bed," Grace said as she leaned against him and he closed his eyes.

"Lay down in my lap and try to get some sleep," Josh said as she just shook her head that she didn't want to. "It might help Grace."

"I don't think I can, it hurts too much," Grace said as she whimpered as the pain hit her again.

"Then we'll go to the doctor," Josh whispered in her ear as she clutched to him.

"I'm so tired already," Grace whispered as he looked into her eyes and saw the fear as well as the excitement in them.

"They can at least give you something for the pain if you're dilated enough," Josh said as he stood up and then helped her to her feet.

"I'm sorry, I know you have to work tomorrow," Grace muttered as he smiled. Of course she would worry about his work at a time like this.

"Not if you have the baby, come on, I'd rather be safe than sorry," Josh said as he took her hand and walked with her out to the car and she smiled at him.

"Sorry Josh," Grace whispered said as a liquid landed on his shoes as he helped her get in the car.

"Don't be sorry, you're so uncomfortable that the baby needs to come soon," Josh said as he gave her a peck on the cheek and then took a napkin and wiped the liquid off her legs.

"But I wanted her to be born on your birthday," Grace whispered as he just stared at her.

"How about we settle for your mother's," Josh said as she gave him a bewildered look and then realized that in a few hours it would be her mother's birthday.

"Josh…" Grace whispered as she pulled him back toward her.

"Grace, you can try to hide the pain from me, but you won't be able to. We need to get you to the hospital," Josh said, calmly as she just nodded and he smiled.

"Thank you," Grace said as he climbed into the driver's seat and gave her an odd look.

"For what?" Josh asked backing out of the driveway.

"Being you," Grace said before another contraction hit and she groaned.

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"I came as soon as I heard. How is she?" Aiden asked as he walked into the waiting room in his pajama bottoms and a random t-shirt.

"At six centimeters an hour ago, so she's got an epidural, but Josh hasn't come out in awhile," Tommy explained as Aiden just nodded and then started pacing the waiting room. "She's going to be fine Aiden."

"Explain that to the pain in my side," Aiden muttered as he passed him and Kim laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Sympathy pains for you sister? How nice Aiden," Kim said as her eyes sparkled and Aiden just groaned.

"Honey, pacing isn't going to get the baby here in faster, come sit down," Samantha said as Aiden looked over at her and then sat down next to her and she placed her arms around him. "She's going to be fine."

"This is the one thing that I can't help her with," Aiden muttered as Samantha just smiled. She understood how close the two of them were and she didn't try to talk Aiden out of being that way, it was part of what made him the way that he was now.

"But Josh is, he won't let anything happen to her if he can help it," Samantha whispered as she watched her husband's face tense and he closed his eyes as he placed his head on her shoulder.

--------------

"She looks like you," Grace muttered as she looked up at him with tired eyes. The nurse had gone to get the rest of the family, so they had a few more minutes alone.

"No, she looks like both of us," Josh said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead and then placed the baby girl in her arms. Jacelyn Ryan Fitzpatrick was born at 8:28 am, 23 January, weighing 6.6 oz, 21 inches long and had the bluest eyes that either of them had ever seen.

"No, she's you and that's okay, we'll have a little me sometime," Grace said as he pulled the bar down on the bed and sat down next to her, placing his arm around her. She had had a long night, but the result was worth it.

"I love you," Josh whispered as he gave her a quick kiss and she smiled.

"I love you too," Grace responded as she little girl opened her eyes and stared at the two of them.

"You've given me my dreams Grace and you didn't have to," Josh whispered as he looked at the two of them and could not help but smile, they were so beautiful.

"Maybe not, but you've given me so much more. You gave me a life I never thought I'd have, one without the worries I've always lived with, thank you," Grace whispered as the doctor looked up at the two of them and then quietly slipped out. The baby would be just fine with them for the night.

"You don't have to thank me, you gave me a happily ever after and I never thought I'd get one," Josh whispered as the door opened and the adoring grandparents, uncles, and aunts walked in as the both of them smiled. This was what they wanted, this was their dream.

**THE END**


End file.
